A Hero's Journey
by Wilmi
Summary: Gohan died in the Cell Games, and is sent to Otherworld, where Supreme Kai takes interest in his magnificent power. He convinces the young Saiyan to train with him, ultimately to fight and kill Majin Buu, but he must make a huge sacrifice... His family.
1. Chapter 1: The Fight is Over

_Hey there people! _

_This is actually the first fanfiction I wrote while I was still in high school. I don't have time to finish my other fanfic at the moment, so I decided to post this as a consolation. Over the next few days I will post the entire story, I am just still in the process of tweaking it a bit. But I hope you'll enjoy it! :D _

_*Happy reading! _

**Chapter 1: The Fight is Over **

It was supposed to be a beautiful day.

The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky. A cool summer breeze provided the necessary chill to lower the already warm temperature. If it were a normal day you would have probably caught my dad and I at the lake near our house, fishing and having a good time in the water. If it were any other day than today, we all would have been at our houses having fun instead of standing under the scorching sun at the desert's mercy. But it wasn't a normal day today. Today wasn't a day for fun.

Today was the day of the Cell Games.

I stared up at my father and Cell's fight with puzzlement. They were moving quickly from one point to the other, but always stayed in the sky. Small shockwaves occasionally decorated the skies as their fists or feet collided, but something about the fight didn't make sense to me.

Both of them already powered up to their maximum, or at least that is what they made us think. They were equals. With power-levels anyway. It was hard to tell who was stronger because the intensity of their energies were exactly the same. But that was not the part which puzzled me. I was suspecting that my father was holding back some of his power.

Don't get me wrong, their fight was indeed ferocious, but the power displayed by my father, compared to the power I felt inside of me, was considerably less. My dad is much stronger than me, it has and will always be the case, so it was easy for me to figure out that he wasn't giving everything he had in this battle. I couldn't think of a logical reason why he would toy with Cell rather than just finishing him off. Quickly. This fight of theirs have been prolonged to more than an hour already and I was already starting to get impatient.

"Come on Dad, you can do it!" I urged to the skies, trying to aim my words in his specific ever-changing direction. "I know you can!" We trained hard for this in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He just had to take Cell down.

The confusion of why Dad would hold back his power started to take over my mind, and I decided to ask a fellow warrior their opinion to why that might think the reason could be. Piccolo had a mind for strategy, so he must have an idea what Dad could possibly have up his sleeve. Luckily he was standing next to me.

"Piccolo, why do you think my dad is holding back?" I asked my mentor without breaking eye-contact with the colliding bodies of Dad and Cell.

"What do you mean, Gohan?" I could detect a frown in Piccolo's voice. "Your dad is stronger than ever, stronger than any of us up here. Why would you think that he's holding back?"

I bit my lip. A stronger sensation of confusion settling in my mind. Piccolo didn't think my dad was holding back his power, to him it seemed that he was at his maximum potential. Why was this ordeal only apparent to me?

"Was he stronger in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber than he is now?" Piccolo questioned further when I didn't offer him a reply.

I thought back to the training and shook my head. "Not really." I concentrated on his energy again, and it was still lower than mine. "I must be imagining things." I finally stated, feeling Piccolo's penetrative stare touch my skin. I am _not _stronger than Dad. That is absurd. The sun must be getting to me. I shook my head, trying to shake my brain back into its original orbit. I focused on his energy again, and mine was still higher compared to it.

My focus was snapped back to the fight as an explosion made the area shake. I blinked quickly, only seeing Cell with both his arms outstretched and panting, but my dad was nowhere to be seen. I flinched when Dad suddenly flew out of the thickening smoke of the explosion, no new scrapes on his body. I sighed with reliëf.

"Wow, just look at Goku go." Krillin commented and I could see what he meant. Dad looked like a golden angel as he rose high into the sky, furthering the gap between him and his opponent.

"He is way up there, what is he doing?" Tien asked.

His question answered itself when Dad started chanting a familiar rhyme which we all just knew too well.

"KA... ME..."

My eyes widened when I heard him starting to chant Kamehameha. He is way up there, and if the blow collides with Cell on the earth below, he could take the whole planet to oblivion with him. Piccolo was the first to react.

"Everyone, get down!" He yelled passionately, his eyes was glued to my father's frame. "Get moving, Goku is releasing the Kamehameha wave!" He informed those of the group who could not hear or see the scene. They gasped, looking at the sky with confusion.

"Goku cannot release the Kamehameha from up there, he will destroy the Earth if he does." Yamcha panicked.

Krillin chuckled. "Awh come on guys, just relax. Goku is crazy, but not that crazy. There is nothing to worry about." He stated surely.

"HA... MEE..." Dad continued chanting and Krillin noticeably whitened, but he didn't utter a word to contradict his previous statement about his best friend from childhood.

"Goku NO!" Piccolo yelled, distraught.

All of a sudden Dad vanished from the sky and appeared right in front of Cell one second later. I could see Cell's expression turn to one of horror as my dad uttered the last "HAAAA!" of the chant. The power exploded from his palms and collided with Cell in an instant. That was the closest range I have ever seen someone being hit with a Kamehameha wave before.

The smoke took a while to settle, but when it finally did, it revealed my father still crouched down in his Kamehameha stance, but he was panting, severely out of breath. That blast took all of his remaining energy with it. Cell was still covered in a cloud of smoke, but I could still feel his energy signal pulsing sporadically.

"Did you see that?!" Yamcha exclaimed with awe. "Goku blasted Cell to pieces. No one could survive a Kamehameha wave at that close range." He continued optimistically.

"You're right Yamcha." Tien agreed. "That little maneuver might have just won Goku the tournament."

"Yeah, he has won!"

Vegeta grunted and his fists were clenched at his sides. I knew he felt Cell's still-alive energy too.

The dust finally cleared, exposing Cell's headless body. All his flesh from the shoulder upwards was missing and his limp body lay on the ground like a corpse.

Yamcha chuckled happily. "Goku won!" He yelled. "That instant transmission technique surely did the trick." He turned his gaze to the rest of the group. "Hey guys, Goku won the tournament!" His laugh caught in his throat when he noticed that not all of us joined in his glee. "Guys we don't have to worry anymore. Cell is dead!" He exclaimed. "Gosh, I wish you guys would lighten up a bit."

"Cell is still alive." I muttered, bursting the bubble of my ignorant friends.

All of their gazes, except that of Piccolo, Trunks and Vegeta turned to me. They were frowning. "That cannot be." Tien contradicted. "Goku used all his energy on that attack."

"Can't you fell Cell's life force?" I asked rhetorically. "It is stil there, and stronger than my dad's." I could see that Dad knew too that something was off. A calculative expression rested on his features as he stared down at his opponent's still figure.

"Get away from him Goku!" Krillin's abrupt yell startled me. "Cell is going to regenerate himself!" Right on que, the remainder of Cell's body jumped up, perfectly landing on both feet. Dad flinched and took a few steps back, shock resided on his face. Cell started shaking and a mere few seconds later a new set of arms and a head sprung out of the gaping gashes in his body. His power seemed higher than before too. A trait he clearly inherited from the Saiyan-gene inside of him.

"I should have known that you would be able to regenerate yourself back to normal after that attack." Dad stated.

"Of course." Cell replied smugly. "I have to thank Piccolo's cells for that."

Piccolo grunted and a disgusted expression rested on his face. "I cannot believe part of my genetic makeup is inside that monster." He smashed a nearby rock to smithereens. "He just won't die!"

"I may not have beaten you because of that blast Cell, but I can sense that your power-level has gone down greatly because of it." Dad continued.

"Perhaps." Cell agreed. "But you're the one who seems to have trouble catching his breath." He smiled. "I know what you did Goku, you pushed most of your remaining power into that blast, but I'm still standing and all your power is drained which means your fight it over."

An aura of pure gold gathered around my father's body and his power-level spiked. "That's not true!" He yelled and charged at the genetically mutated monster. Their arms and legs clashed profusely, neither showing weakness.

Dad was quicker than he was before and lashed out all his anger and frustrations on his enemy. Cell took some hard hits to the face and abdomen, but his hits on my dad seemed to be harder. After a few moments Dad's foot collided with Cell's cheek and Cell's foot collided with my dad's cheek. They were yanked back by sheer force and stayed in their fighting stances, staring at each other, both panting.

"It seems like this fight is getting too much for you." Cell commented.

Dad growled. "No!" He yelled back arrogantly and charged at his green opponent with his fist extended. "Just before his fist could hit Cell, he spun to the side, and punched my dad in the stomach. Dad let out a pained breath as all the oxygen fled from his lungs. Cell grabbed the fabric of his shirt while he was still trying to catch his breath and punched him hard in the face, making him crash down into a nearing rock bed.

Dad recovered quickly and released some of his energy to shoot the rocks into the sky. Cell's attention was diverted by blocking the incoming boulders and Dad took that as an opportunity to fling a flurry of small energy blast at him. He was attacking Cell with everything he got, and he got in a few hits before Cell settled into a blocking pose.

After several minutes of this, Cell uttered an unearthly screech, and a circular shield, laced with lingering lightning bolts, grew like an inflating balloon from his body. It swallowed my dad's energy attacks hungrily and extended to where we were standing. The sheer force of it was mind-boggling and it was so close that if I extended my arm I would be able to touch it, but I didn't.

"Maybe now you can see how completely hopeless you are, Goku!" Cell retorted from inside his dome-like shield. I hate to have to agree with Cell, but my dad was in bad shape. He was panting severely, and fatigue was settling in his muscles.

"Both of their power-levels have dropped tremendously." Piccolo stated. "But Goku's is dropping much faster. If he doesn't act soon, he is going to lose."

"Are you feeling tired Goku?" Cell asked in a mocking tone. "You have lost a lot of strength." He laughed, a deep ugly laugh from his stomach. "Why don't you take a little breather. Perhaps one of those sensu beans will help you." He teased.

Trunks turned to Krillin with an alert expression. "Hey this is our chance." He started. "If we give Goku a sensu bean now, he will regain his strength and beat Cell."

"That's right, Cell said he could have one!" Yamcha chimed in.

"Come on Krillin." Trunks urged.

"We will wait." Piccolo interrupted. I stared up at my mentor with surprise.

Trunks stared at the Namekian with a frown, and looked at everyone else, looking for backup. Everyone stared out blankly in front of them and Trunks finally looked back at Piccolo again. "Wait for what?!" He yelled exasperatedly. "He needs a sensu bean!"

"Quiet boy!" Vegeta chipped in. "Where is your honor? Where is your pride?" He asked, looking angrily down at his son from the future. "Like all pure-blood Saiyans, Kakarot would rather die fighting than win with the help of one of that disgraceful sensu-beans as his crutch. Kakarot trained in the hyperbolic time chamber just as we did, so now let's see what he can do." Trunks was stunned to silence by his father's words.

"No we can't." He finally replied. "Don't you see what will happen when we allow things to continue like this?"

Vegeta turned his gaze back to the battlefield. "If this goes on, Kakarot will die." He said, lacking emotion.

My face fell to the ground. At Vegeta's mention of the word '_die' _my mind was tangled in a flurry of negative thoughts. Dad cannot die, he simply can't! He is strong, possibly the strongest good guy in the universe... But Vegeta is right- Dad still is not strong enough to defeat Cell. That was a horrible declaration to make, but it was true. We should prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome of this day...

"But it is his decision to make." Vegeta added. "It is painfully clear that no one in this group is stronger than Kakarot is." He paused. "Not even myself." He clenched both his fists. "And that means that he deserves to have the battle of a true warrior, and that means to the death!"

Vegeta's words fueled my negative thoughts. Dad can't win this fight... He is going to need help, but Cell is so strong.

"While we all just stand here and watch?!" Trunks asked with disbelief. "I won't be a part of that!"

Vegeta growled. "Aren't you the one who cannot stop talking about how much of a hero Kakarot is? If you really have that much faith in him, you will wait, and see what he will do."

"I can feel your energy slipping away, Goku." Cell laughed. "I don't think you can last must longer. It will hardly be an effort to kill you, but I wouldn't want to disappoint the television audience because I know they want to see a true champion."

Cell laughed. "This battle will be your last, Goku." Surprisingly my dad smiled.

"You are right about one thing Cell, the world wants to see a real champion." He stated and powered down. My mouth fell agape. What is Dad doing? "It's over Cell, you win." My dad said loudly. "I give up." I frowned. I have never heard my dad uttered those words before. My dad didn't give up, ever, but now he was? In the midst of a heated battle of all places. I was baffled.

"I know now how strong you are, and there is no point in continuing this fight, because I can't beat you."

"You coward!" Vegeta muttered in disbelief.

"Goku is turning his back on us?" Yamcha asked at no one in particular, but nobody answered.

"You know, when I came here today, I wasn't sure if I had what it takes to beat you. But I know now that I don't. Fighting you has showed me that I still have a lot to work toward, we may be enemies, but today you have given me a valuable opportunity to learn more about myself and for what it's worth, I thank you." Dad continued. It was truly sickening to listen to.

"What is he doing?" Krillin asked with terror.

"Cell must have knocked his screws loose! There is no way that.."

"Quiet Yamcha, I am trying to listen." Tien hushed his friend.

"It's pointless for us to continue this fight." Dad ended his speech.

"Surely you're joking!" Cell snapped angrily. "You can't just say "I give up" and expect to just walk away."

"Sure I can, you beat me. Fair and square, I give up."

"Well Goku, I hope you fully understand the consequences of your actions. You may quit if you wish, but if there is no one else left to fight me, I am going to reduce this entire planet to rubble." He threatened.

"Not so fast Cell. I might be giving up but that doesn't mean the tournament is over..." His voice trailed off mysteriously. "There is still one person left for you to fight."

Cell frowned. "You're not serious." He looked over to where we were standing, scanning over each of us. "One of them?!" He frowned. "Which of these pitiful specimens did you have in mind to fight me? Who?" He asked again. "Trunks, Piccolo, Vegeta?" He made eye-contact with my father again. "Please, don't waste my time."

"So you don't mind if I pick who gets to fight next, do you?"

Cell growled. "You actually intend to go through with this?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but you will understand soon enough." Dad said. "The next person is a lot stronger than I am, so if you enjoyed your fight with me Cell, you will enjoy this one even better. But you will probably not feel that way about him after he has beaten you."

Cell frowned. "What's that?"

"I said you'll probably won't feel the same about it after he beats you." Dad repeated.

"A bold statement. You seem to have very much confidence in this mystery fighter of yours." Cell sounded surprised at my dad's assurance.

Dad nodded.

"Well I hope for your sake that your confidence hasn't been misplaced. So where is he? Where is your great invisible champion?"

"Oh he's here, he just doesn't know it yet."

Cell growled. "I'm losing my patience Goku, say the name!" He ordered.

"Okay, I will." He turned to face us, his face smiling. "Alright guys, I can't win this fight, I need one of you to take over." His eyes softened, ignoring the glaring and startling stares of his friends. His gaze suddenly fell on me and our eyes connected. I felt uneasy and I involuntarily gulped, fearing the possibility of him calling my name.

"That someone is you, son."


	2. Chapter 2: Faith in a Boy

**Chapter 2: Faith in a boy**

"_That someone is you, son." _

Against all odds, Dad called upon me. Some of the strongest warriors in the world like Vegeta and Piccolo and Trunks were standing a few meters away from me, but he still chose me. I noticed that everybody was staring at me now. Vegeta's stare was filled with anger and jealousy. Piccolo's stare spoke of horror. Krillin's stare was laced with pity. Trunks' stare held fair amounts of worry. Tien looked at me with disbelief in his three eyes and Yamcha's entire face was stunned with shock.

I noticed that my face was frozen, stripped of any recognizable emotions.

He wants _me_ to fight? But what can I do? If my dad can't beat Cell, how can I?!

Dad flew up to the rock we all resided on. "You can do it right?" He asked me with a friendly face.

I stared up at him with a frown, not getting my mouth to work for a second there. "Me, fight with Cell?" I finally managed to stutter out.

Cell was clearly not pleased with the choice of warrior my father picked. "You promised me a challenge but you give me nothing but a child!" He yelled, making me flinch.

Like Cell, Piccolo was also not shy about airing his displeasures loudly. "You are going to get your own son killed, you fool!" Piccolo yelled. "Goku, stop this madness. Stop and think what will happen if you maintain this course of action. If Gohan fights with Cell he is going to die!"

My shoulders slumped at his outburst. The last glimmer of faith in myself for being able to do this vanished. No one thinks I can do this, not even Piccolo. I don't know why Dad would think that I can win this fight, if no one else has faith in me.

"Listen, Gohan has a power hidden inside him which you and I cannot begin to imagine." Dad spoke up for me. He smiled down at me before he turned to face the others again. "Just think about it guys, don't you realize that he has keeping up with the rest of us ever since he was just a little boy? When I was that age, I wasn't half as strong as he is."

Krillin stepped up. "Goku we all know Gohan is strong for his age, but fighting Cell?" His eyes moved over to me. And then back to my dad, his eyes were pleading.

"You are just going to have to trust me on this one Krillin. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know that Gohan could win." He reassured, but it didn't make me feel any better.

Dad bent down to my level. "Look at me son, tell me something, while I was fighting with Cell, was it ever too hard for you to keep up at all, I mean did we ever move too fast for you?"

I shook my head. "No, I could see it all, but that's just because you and Cell weren't fighting with your full strength. I am sure that if you did, I wouldn't have been..."

"I don't know about Cell son, but I was giving my all." Dad interrupted. "You thought I was holding back, because you were comparing the energy you sensed from me to your own." He placed his hands comfortingly on my shoulders.

Piccolo's mouth fell open, he probably remembered our previous conversation. "Is that true Gohan?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"It's impossible!" Vegeta screamed. "He is just a child, how could he be.. It's impossible!"

"Any day now." Cell urged impatiently.

Dad squeezed my shoulders. "So what do you say, son? Go out there and win this one for me, okay? Then we can all go home."

Against my beter judgment, I nodded, not wanting to disappoint Dad. He seemed to have a lot of faith in me. "Okay Dad, I'll do it."

He smiled and rose to his feet. "Great."

Piccolo looked displeased.

Krillin scratched the back of his bald head. "Gohan, are you sure about this?"

I mustered a smile at my dad's closest vriend. "I am." I tried to sound sure, but he didn't seem to buy my affirmation.

I took in a deep breath and threw off my cape, the one similar to Piccolo's. Casting one last look at my mentor, I flew down to the battlefield with an uncertain heart, but shook the feeling off as I stood face to face with the most dangerous foe we have ever encountered on earth.

"How absurd." Cell said as he looked me over. I stared up at him, nothing but determination on my features. I reminded myself of all the destruction he has caused on my planet. I found myself thinking of the huge amount of humans who died at his hands. I thought of him hurting my friends. Anger swelled inside of my being and I realized that I hated him with all of my heart. He must be stopped and I am the one who is going to kill him!

Okay Gohan you can do this. Dad has a lot of faith in you; you cannot let him down, again... The fate of the whole world is resting on your shoulders... No pressure...

Well, at least Dad did quite a lot of damage on Cell in their battle, I noted as I saw Cell with countless bruises and slices on his body while breathing heavily as he floated in the air, staring me down. I could use that to my advantage!

A glimmer of hope settled in my stomach, chasing the nervousness and doubt away. Maybe I can beat this overgrown grasshopper after all.

My mind reached out to where Cell was standing. I compared my energy to his and smiled confidently. We weren't that much apart, he is still a tad bit stronger than me but if I just strategize correctly, I can win. I really can do this! I can really beat...

"Cell!" My father called, trying to get Cell's attention. "Here, catch!" He shouted and threw a bean with lighting speed at Cell. Cell caught it between his fingers and stared at it confusingly. The z-warriors wore horror-stricken expressions on their faces. "It's a sensu bean, eat it." He explained. My eyes widened in horror.

Wait! What is Dad doing?! I panicked. Is he seriously giving Cell a sensu bean? I felt my last glimmer of hope in winning this tournament disappear, as if it was literally being flushed down the toilet...

What is he thinking?! Does he want me to die?! I know I have let him down in the past, but... But allowing your son, your own flesh and blood, to be killed by a tyrannous villain? My mind went crazy. My brain was buzzing like a disoriented colony of bees, trying to find a logical explanation for my dad's illogical actions.

Maybe he has a plan; he has to have a plan! I contradicted my negativity. Maybe he wants me to serve as a distraction, bait if you will; so when Cell's attention is entirely focused on me, he will go in for the kill. Yeah! That must be it! Phew. I must just play along with this charade and it will be over before I know it!

I loosened my body and took a deep breath. _Let's do this!_

I released my power; not allowing Cell to have the first move. I smiled as I felt the familiar and warm feeling of my energy pulse vividly through my body. The earth shook a bit and a few pieces of debris were held in the air around my body as my power was uttered. I chuckled softly as I saw Cell and my other friends' shocked faces as they felt my strong power, a power even stronger than Dad's!

I am going to show Cell exactly what I am made of, I decided with confidence when I noticed that the bug was still analyzing me with his eyes, not yet daring to make a move.

"Okay Cell, I'm ready." I urged.

"Well, maybe Goku wasn't entirely bluffing about his son's strength." Cell admitted with a smile. "Of course it was a bit of an exaggeration to say that you are strong than me, but oh well."

I got into a flawless fighting stance and Cell chuckled.

"I'll give you this, you are very brave and loyal too. Not a lot of sons are willing to die fighting their father's battles you know." He shook his head slowly with amusement. "Your devotion is very admirable."

"You can do this Gohan!" My dad cheered from the sidelines.

At that moment Cell decided to make his first move. He shot a kick my way, but I blocked it with my arm. We made eye-contact and I scowled at him, making him smile. He increased the energy in his kick, but I held my defense firm, which prompted him to barge me with more attacks. I was quicker than him and dodged or blocked every blow he threw my way.

Finally I took to the skies. I was mainly on defense now and he was dominating at offence. I looked for a gap in his movements for the perfect moment to strike, but he was flawless.

He gathered a significant amount of power for his next kick and I just barely dodged it. I was off balance for a second, but gained my composure as I fell down to the ground, using my arm to balance myself again.

"Good son!" Dad cheered approvingly. "Make him come to you! Make him fight on your terms and not his!"

Cell charged me again and his attacks were quicker than before. He must have flung over a hundred punched my way, but I was still able to dodge every single one of them.

"You are pretty fast aren't you?" Cell said with approval. "But let's kick things up a notch."

He sped so quickly over to me that I didn't even detect the movement. All I knew was that he was hovering opposite me one moment and the next head-butted me in the face. I flew back, but he caught me on my shirt. The force of his attack was still radiating all over my features. I didn't even have enough time to recover before he started bashing in my head with his feisty fists.

He held me in such a position which made it impossible for me to defend myself.

His hits were hard and when he finally stopped, I found myself being dazed and confused. I opened my eyes before he delivered the fatal blow of his attack: knocking me over my head. I helplessly rocketed to the ground, momentum being my worst enemy in this situation. I barely felt the crash and found comfort in the few seconds I got to lay on the cool ground.

I got up again quickly though, and wiped a trail of blood off the corner of my mouth with a smile. I was having fun. The fight was satisfying my animalistic Saiyan desire of fighting.

Cell floated down to my level. "Well Gohan, I see that you are ready for round two."

"I am ready when you are, you creep."

He chuckled and took to the skies. I frowned, not expecting him to do that. As soon as he was high enough he started shooting numerous energy attacks down my way. My excellent dodging skills still prove effective as I managed to elude each one of his attacks.

He started to get annoyed with that fact. "Hold still!" He yelled on countless occasions as he failed to hit me. But suddenly he was behind me, and one of his kicks connected.

I felt something crack in my abdomen and let out a yell due to the pain. I fell to the ground and he was next to my side in a second. He looked down at me with distaste.

"This was a good fight kid." He aimed his open palm at me and energy started to glow in it. "But all good things must come to an end." He released the power before I could muster up a quick defense and took the hit directly from such a close range. I was sent flying into one of the nearing rock formations, and almost went completely through it before the whole thing collapsed on top of me.

Now my head was hurting too, but other than that, I was still in tip-top condition.

I threw the large boulders off my body and rose to my feet, dusting off my clothes as I did.

"WE TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN, WE TOLD YOU!" I recognized Piccolo's voice yell louder than I have ever heard him yelling. "BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN. MAYBE YOU WILL HEAR THIS... YOUR SON IS DEAD GOKU, HE IS DEAD!" His yells actually echoed through the valley and made its way back to my ears a couple more times.

I shook my head, disappointed that my mentor would think that I could be killed after such a short time, and such a weak attack. "I hope you are not too shocked by this mister Piccolo." I muttered under my breath as I released a fair amount of my energy to disintegrate the boulders and debris that blocked my way. My golden aura radiated around my body like a burning sun.

I looked up at the cliff where my friends stood. "I don't die that easily Piccolo." I said just loud enough for him to hear, and I could see his eyes widen a bit.

I turned my attention back to Cell, and menacingly walked over to him. I stopped when I was close enough to touch him.

"It seems I didn't give you enough credit." He said. "You've got a lot more nerve than I thought."

"This fight is meaningless Cell." I spoke up, ignoring his previous statement.

He stared at me with bafflement for a few seconds before he started laughing. "You're just like your father. Do you really think I'll stop my Cell Games just because you think it's meaningless?"

I sighed, knowing that he won't listen to reason. "Yes."

He chuckled and stared intently down at me. "Well think again. Let me explain something to you boy, you have to fight." His voice was lined with venom. "Unless you beat me today, I will destroy. The. Earth." He emphasized. "Now how is that for meaning?"

"I'm telling you I don't want to fight anymore Cell, even though you're evil I have no desire to kill you." My voice was menacingly low, and my eyes didn't break away from his. "You don't have to continue this senseless violence." I stated. "I am giving you a chance to put an end to it right now."

He folded his arms over his chest. "Correct me if I am wrong, but did I just hear you, threatening to kill me?"

I stared at him, not stating the obvious answer.

He chuckled. "And how are you planning to carry out this senseless threat, really, do tell." He mocked, humoring me.

"I know now what my father meant. I know now why I am the only one who can take you down."

"Don't make me laugh. You can't touch me kid."

"Maybe not right now, but I think it is important for you to know what will happen when you push me." I clenched my fists, remembering. "When I was just a little boy a Saiyan warrior, Radditz, came to Earth, he was a lot like you Cell, and he enjoyed hurting others, especially my dad." I shot Cell a scowl. "He was continuing his ruthless torture, and I was trapped, helpless inside his spaceship, but I could still hear my father's screams." I paused. "Each time he cried out in agony, my heart cried out with him. The pain I felt by not being able to help him was maddening. Then something happened... Something snapped. The pain I felt became so great that I lost myself in it. A furious blinding force began to surge through me and I knew only one thing: I had to help my dad, no matter what. That was the first time I learned I had a hidden power, but I had no idea from where it came from or how to use it..." My voice trailed off.

"Fortunately those were things that Piccolo was determined to teach me. I think he recognized my power for what it was, he knew that the only way for it to surface is for me to be faced with a crisis so great that I would have no other choice but to use it. This wasn't a voluntary decision on my part, but more like a feeling, a gut reaction to a situation beyond my control. I lost myself in it and the power emerged."

"I would learn even more about my hidden abilities while we were on Namek, fighting Frieza. Krillin was hurt really badly, but I knew there was still a chance to save him, so I tried to reach him as fast as I could, but before I did, Frieza was right there, laughing. Krillin, my vriend was sinking to the bottom of that lake, and Frieza, that tyrannous monster was actually enjoying it. I couldn't control what happened next. I attacked. I didn't care that Frieza was the strongest person in the galaxy. All I knew was that I must help my vriend, and the only way to him was through Frieza. I still don't know how it happened, I was lost in a raging vorm of emotions. It was like a switch had been pulled, and for those few moments, nothing could stop my power from raging to the surface. I was an unstoppable force. Once unleased, the hidden power was enough to bring Frieza crashing to his knees. That was a long time ago, and I have gotten a lot stronger. I think my dad took that in account. He realized that if I would lose control, it's no telling how powerful I will become, or how much damage a power like that would cause." I clenched my fist, angry at the idea that I could hurt my friends or the planet with my catastrophic power.

Cell laughed. "An interesting story, but it didn't work. Not in the way you intended, you gave me something to work for. This hidden power of you intrigues me, and I am determined to see it for myself."

I gasped as my air-flow was cut-off by his gigantic head colliding with my stomach. I stumbled backwards and crashed into the ground. My eyes widened as I saw he was charging again; I instinctively jumped up and ran towards him. I saw an opening and kicked him in the stomach; he went flying to the ground, crashing.

He yelled as he released more energy and charged at me with full speed. I swung my fist out toward him as he neared, but he jumped up, my shot barely missing the soles of his feet and he kicked me in the nose. I stuttered backwards and he grabbed my arm. He twisted it in an unnatural angle behind my back and I squealed in pain.

"Getting angry yet?" He breathed over my shoulder.

"I am just warming up…" I spat out with effort.

He threw me to the ground and stepped on my head, stomping his foot down on my head.

"You stubborn child. Get angry!" He yelled as he kicked me repeatedly in the stomach. "Release your hidden powers. Protect yourself!" He yelled again and brought his foot down on my hand. I let out a cry as the bones in my fingers were crushed.

He let out a frustrated cry as I didn't give him what he was after. He kicked me up into the air and caught me in his arms, hugging me tightly against his chest. I was confused for a moment by what he could possibly achieve by this attack, but then it became clear as he started to squeeze me, like a snake trying to kill his prey.

Pings of pain shot through my body, originating at my torso.

I sent more power out, trying to get him away from me. It didn't work. My raising energy didn't blow him away like a used tissue; he didn't spiral through the air. I stayed put in his arms, losing oxygen by the second.

Cell laughed at my cries. "What a wretched way to die, but no one can stop me. Except for you. Except for you, Gohan! I can feel your bones starting to break. You must not like the pain. Save yourself!"

He was in control now. My body felt weak under his pressure. I found myself wondering why Dad and the others weren't trying anything to help me.

"That's it! Scream out! It makes you mad that you are in pain!"

He let go after a while. My body fell to the ground softly and I floated down too. He easily got up into a sitting position and sat crossed legged in front of me with a smile planted on his face. It felt like some of my ribs pressed against my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. I flinched with every breath I took. I clutched my side, in hope of making the pain more bearable, but it only made it worse.

"Stubborn creature. Perhaps you will respond better to the pain of your friends."

My eyes snapped open, my arms reaching out to Cell. "Don't!" I yelled.

"With these out of the way, I won't have to fight them myself." I saw he was holding our bag of sensu beans in his grasp.

I got up to my feet. "What are you planning to do?" I asked angrily.

"I am going to make you release your hidden power, and if your friends die because of it, you can go ahead and blame yourself for that too."

"I'll kill you!" I yelled.

He chuckled. "When I get my fill I will stop you myself."

"Come on, defend yourself!" Cell yelled as started to charge me. Giving a quick dodge, he watched as I flew through the air. I landed on my feet to see that Cell was making another dash towards me, this time I dodged and jumped into the air.

With a grunt and a yell I allowed myself to be emerged in a golden aura. My cold teal eyes scanned Cell running toward me with another attack. This time Cell landed on his behind in surprise and a small amount of pain.

The other Z-Fighters continued to watch as the android stood to his feet. I glared at the android when he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Well, maybe I'll get through to you just yet." Cell said as he assumed his stance.

"So, Gohan." Cell casually said as he watched me clench my teeth. "We still have yet to see you angry." He smirked and turned to the Z-Fighters. "I'd say that we try some friendly persuading." Cell muttered as he softly counted the Z-Fighters. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven." He shrugged. "Seven it is!"

Cell gave a grunt as he threw his head back and his two black wings opened up to reveal his pale colored stinger. "Haaa!" He shouted as the small stinger grew in diameter and shot out seven tiny beings.

"What the hell are those things?" Piccolo shouted in surprise as he watched them with disgust etched on his face.

The creatures couldn't help but laugh and giggle at their surroundings as they stood to their feet. The small little monsters were blue and black, and extremely small. Yet, sadly, their power didn't match their height.

"Now my darling children, those seven people you see up there are your enemies. Make them suffer, if it please you, kill them." Cell said to the Cell Jrs much to my dismay. "Now get to it!" He ordered as he crossed his arms victoriously.

I watched all of the fights with a pained expression. I…I want to help, but I found that I didn't know how. I clenched my teeth and my fists as I felt rage building within me. The one fight that really struck me the most was Dad's. Here he was, in this predicament because he had faith in me, but I was letting him down. I punched the ground a few times in frustration. 'Why?' I pleaded to the skies. 'Why am I so useless!'

"Playtime is over children." Cell exclaimed in a cheerful voice. "You can kill them now."

"Noooo!" I shouted and clenched my fists. Tears were streaming down my face freely now. I closed my eyes in despair. _If only I were stronger!_ I tried locating the vault of my hidden powers, but I just couldn't reach it. I was mortified; if I don't tap into my powers soon, Cell is going to kill them all!

"Hurry up now." Cell's impatient screech interrupted my thoughts. "First one, who kills one of those pests, wins a prize." He exclaimed happily.

I flinched. How dare Cell treat their lives as a game! "Stop it!" I yelled at the grasshopper and aimed a punch at him. Cell easily dodged it and kneed me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain, gasping for air.

"Why... are you doing... this?!" I managed to stutter out through my gasps. "Just kill me and get it over with."

Cell scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?" He laughed. "Don't worry boy, your death will come soon enough; just unleash your hidden powers and you can pretend that this was all just a bad dream..."

Krillin's body fell lifeless to the ground; his energy was dangerously low. One of the Cell junior's kept kicking him in his side and I flinched with every blow connecting with his mangled body. A few tears flowed down my cheeks; I closed my eyes. "Krillin, I'm so sorry." I whispered.

Only Vegeta, Trunks and Piccolo were still able to defend themselves; not even my dad could keep up anymore: he was being kicked back and forth like a ragdoll.

Yamcha, Tien and Krillin were all lying on the ground, facedown; unconscious.

Why did you do this Dad, why did you count on me so much? If you are so sure I have these powers, tell me how to bring it out. I want to help. I want to save you Dad. B...but I can't; I don't know how. I am too afraid to do this alone. I am just a child! I am still supposed to watch cartoons and play games; not defend the earth. I...

"Gohan." I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see one of the remaining androids' head in front of me.

"S...Sixteen?" I stuttered confused.

"Gohan, let it go." He said in a gentle voice. "It is not a sin to fight for the right cause. There are those, who words alone, will not reach. Cell is such a being. I know how you feel Gohan." He smiled at me. "You are gentle; you do not like to hurt; I know, because I have also learned these feelings. It is because you cherish life, that you must protect it."

"Ugh." Cell scoffed in disgust. "This sentimental downpour is killing me. It is very nice of you to help Sixteen, but I plan on doing this my way."

Sixteen's smile grew more sincere. "Please, drop your restraints. Protect the life I learned to love. You have the strength, my scanners sensed it. Just, let it go."

Cell stepped closer and crushed Sixteen's head. Mechanical parts and some blood flew in the air, some landing on my clothes. My mouth fell open in shock and despair. How can someone be so cruel?!

"Yet another fighter you could have saved." Cell stated smugly.

I stared at the bits and pieces, once belonging to Sixteen, longingly. His final words bounced wildly around in my skull.

Sixteen, you loved life; you gave everything up to save it, and you were just an android! I let you die! I can't do this; I can't watch anymore.

_No!_ I have been letting people down my whole life! Flashbacks of the fights with Vegeta, Nappa, the Ginyu Force, Frieza and Garlic Junior raced through my mind. How many times have I let my friends down when they were counting on me? How many of my friends got hurt or, I cringed, _died _because I was too weak or too scared to help them?

I frowned in despair. If only I were stronger! If only I could have done more! Whenever I get in trouble, every time I am in over my head and I don't think that I am going to make it, Dad, Krillin, Piccolo; one of my friends is always there to bail me out! But when the situation is in reverse, I just stand there like a little helpless child.

_Dad_, you have always been able to do anything you set your mind to. I envy you for that. There was never a challenge you couldn't meet. I sighed sadly. But Dad, I am not like you. I am so sorry. I just don't think I have what it takes. _No! I have to be strong! _If I can't do this, Dad, Piccolo, Everyone! I am going to lose them all!

I...I feel it slipping. _I won't watch this anymore! _The vault opened and I tapped into my hidden power; releasing every fragment of it...


	3. Chapter 3: The Awakening

**Chapter 3: The awakening **

I was lost inside myself.

My rage swallowed me whole and I couldn't stop unleashing everything that was inside of me. I had more power than I could have ever imagined. More than twice the strength as a Super Saiyan, and it just kept on multiplying. It ran through my bones, healing the fractures as it coursed through the cracks. My screams filled the air as I continued released all that I had.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as I made eye-contact with Cell. He was laughing, seeming pleased and not worried in the slightest.

"So, that's it, huh?" He asked in a mocking tone. "You are making the same mistake Trunks did boy. Don't think you can beat me just by powering up."

From the corner of my eyes I could still the Cell Juniors resuming in beating up my friends. My blood boiled at the thought of their bony little fists, hurting my friends.

"STOP IT!" I yelled, my eyes never leaving that of Cell's. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" I screeched. "TELL THEM TO STOP IT!"

Cell frowned, probably sensing the sudden increase of my energy as I got angry. "That's the way; let it all go..." He instructed, seeming awe-stricken with my transformation.

From that moment it was like the whole world had ceased to exist. It was just Cell and me, no-one else. I wasn't aware of anything except for my hatred of Cell. I wanted to kill him. But first I wanted to humiliate him. I wanted to hurt him beyond his wildest expectations. I wanted to torture him until he begged. I wanted him to grovel.

He will pay for everything he did to me. He will pay for killing Android 16 in front of my eyes.

The scène replayed in my head and another surge or rage flooded through my being. My yells grew môre intense as I uttered that energy I felt too. The rock-hard ground cracked under my feet. I could feel my energy surging through every fragment of my body. My bones, my muscles, my fists. My muscles grew twice its size and I felt my hair spike upward, reaching for the sun. I uttered a final scream as my transformation was complete.

The dust settled around me and my aura was burning wildly with a magnificent golden glow.

I have never felt more vigilant and strong in my life. I knew I was stronger than Cell. But I didn't feel sorry from him anymore. I didn't want him to leave. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to spill his blood. I never felt like more than a Saiyan. Lightning played

Cell's violet eyes were big and round and his mouth was open. He held his arms out in front of his body, possibly for protection.

"Amazing..." I heard him whisper almost inaudibly under his breath.

I growled; the sound of his disgusting voice angering me. "I can never forgive you for what you have done." I sneered through gritted teeth and walked closer to the beast. I relished in the fact that he was shaking. He was afraid of me.

I stopped a few steps away from him.

Cell let out a small laugh. "At last, you've come out of hiding." He said approvingly. "Now the games will get _really_exciting." He said smiling.

My eyes fell on the sensu beans and I sped over to snatch the bad out of his hands. I am sure by the look of his expression that he couldn't even see my movement.

"No games." I said menacingly.

"What?" He stared at the bag of beans in my possession. "Th.. The sensu beans? How did you get them?" He stuttered, staring uneasily down at me. I didn't grace him with a response and I fazed away when he tried to grab them back. I appeared next to the closest Cell Jr. I stood there in the same place unmoving with an unconcerned expression on my face. As if swatting nothing more than a slight pest, I swiped at the Cell Jr. destroying it with one hand hitting it behind its neck. With a puff of smoke and a few remnants of the body flying, there were now only six Cell Jr. remaining.

"After all the time we spent trying to fight these things, he does it in one blow." I heard Vegeta mutter behind me.

"Gohan, you're amazing." Trunks added.

I looked down when the sound of movement in the rocks reached my ears. Meanwhile on the ground, Piccolo stood up, muttering my name in disbelief. I read his expression as one that hardly believed that the boy up on the cliff was the same boy he had taught and trained for years. He even seemed a little scared. I didn't offer him a smile, but rather turned my attention to the two Cells Jr.'s that were hovering above a fallen Krillin.

The miniature Cells saw that my undivided attention were now on them. One of them picked up the fallen fighter by the collar of his gi and with a cruel snicker his little finger nails grew into sharp claws that ready and poised to be brought onto Krillin's neck.

Unfazed, I just casually walked towards the Cell Jr. that was holding my friend hostage, unblinking, and stopped a few feet away. Without a single word I raised my arm with streaks of lighting dancing across it.

The Cell Jr.'s looked panicked for a bit but quickly regained their composure, clenching their teeth as they got in a fighting position. The one holding Krillin pressed his nails even deeper into his neck. The sharp pain being pressed into his neck was enough to get Krillin to come to for a moment.

"Gohan." He said with one eye cracked opened, the other one was swollen shut. "Don't worry about me… just do what you got to do."

I paid no mind to his words, just focusing my gaze on the other Cell Jr. that stood behind the one holding Krillin. Unlike his brother, this one had no mean of protection. The copy of Cell feared the cold look in my teal eyes and started to back away and tried to retreat.

"Do it Gohan!" Krillin cried.

The Cell Jr holding him looked in fear and disbelief as my hand powered up with an energy blast directed at him and the bald monk in his hands. In less than a second the Cell Jr. let go of Krillin and launched himself into the air and fired off red blasts from the palm of its hands towards me and Krillin.

I rushed over to Krillin in that moment and picked him up into my arms. The blast collided with me with a loud bang sending smoke all around. My pores swallowed up the energy, as it had no effect on me at all. Cell Jr looked down smiling thinking that he had killed me and Krillin. When he finally sensed my energy he looked up, just to see me holding on to Krillin, still alive and completely unharmed.

I disappeared onto where Piccolo was and placed Krillin safely on the ground, in less than a second I stood behind the other Cell Jr and before anyone knew what had happened next, I killed the Cell Jr that had held Krillin hostage with a single kick.

Vegeta looked on in amazement, "I-I can't believe what I'm seeing." Dad looked up from where he laid and chuckled in slight amusement while Cell began to look worried as I had just managed to kill off two of his Cell Jrs without even trying.

The rest of the remaining five Cells then came on to me with an incursion from all sides, knowing that they stood a better chance of killing me with all of them together rather than one by one where I could easily pick them off as I had done not moments ago with the other two blue killers.

They all charged at once and a large cloud of dark smoke appeared as the collision took place. I was unfazed and I could see their attacks coming through the dust cloud, and easily dodged them. Two of the Cells had come to take me from on top only to both be taken back by one punch from my fist, another that had been tricking sneak up on my side, met his death when I kicked him in the stomach. The other Cells backed away in fear. I had just killed a Cell Jr with just one kick.

All the Cells then passed along a silent message between them and then executed what they had planned. I threw the bag of sensu beans into the air and then while the bag was in the air I punched one in the chest, another two in the face, and another I elbowed hard in the chest and all before the bag had even come down. When it did I easily caught it in his hand.

The cells got on their knees and watched me in fear and anger. I on the other hand raised my arms and yelled as I let out a tremendous amount of energy that sent all of the Cell Jrs flying back and hitting hard against rocks.

Vegeta gazed in awe. "He just blew all those creatures with nothing but his energy!"

"And look at him." Trunk added. "He looks perfectly calm it's like he hasn't even warmed up yet."

Piccolo flew to Dad and helped him up. "Goku, are you okay?"

"Didn't I tell you so?" Dad said with one arm over the Namek for support. "He's going to do Piccolo."

I hadn't even gotten a scratch yet while my opponents looked a bit banged up around the edges as they stood up and attacked once more with one going underground and another attacking from the air with a disc of energy. I only jumped into the air, letting the disc pass under me harmlessly. The remaining two followed me into the air with one attacking with the Kamehameha wave and the other with Piccolo's technique: special beam cannon.

Both powerful techniques hit at the same time, not wanting to give me an opening they both fired off one of Frieza's attacks at the same time. They all watched as the light dimmed to finally reveal me still alive and unharmed by the attacks.

With a release of my energy I began my counter attack on the Cell Jrs flying behind one and saying, "I said before I could _never_forgive you!" With a single punch that Cell was no more. Disappearing and reappearing behind another to catch him off guard and bring a powerful kick to its chest destroying it as well. Two were trying to make an escape but couldn't get very far as I flew in front of them blocking their escape and quickly put an end to their existing. My attention went to the last remaining blue child of Cell which I quickly ended punch that sent him flying through entire cliffs and then showing up before it ended up on the ground and kicking it and putting an end to all of the Cell Jrs once and for all.

Cell looked furious. "Just look at what you've done!" Angry that I had managed to destroy all seven of his children without even breaking a sweat. All the Z fighters looked on from a distance.

"Nothing's holding Gohan back now." Piccolo observed. "He's finally learned to tap into his power at will."

Dad agreed and stated. "Now it's time to pay Cell, it's time to face up to your crimes."

"Pass these around Trunks." I instructed the other Saiyan-hybrid and threw the bag of sensu beans into his hands.

Trunks caught them. "Sure." He merely said. He flew towards his fallen comrades and distributed them all as instructed. First to Krillin who still lay unconscious on the desert's rocky ground. He kneeled down beside him and tried to wake him up. Trunks took out one of the bean and placed it in the bald monk's mouth before moving on to Yamcha.

Krillin finally began to stir as the bean's magical influences instantly restored his energy. Groaning as he got and blinked several times looking confused and looked over to see Trunks giving a sensu bean to Tien. Suddenly he remembered what was occurring, "T-Trunks? Gohan is…"

"Is amazing," Trunks finished for him before explaining, "He's transformed into a whole new person." Krillin looked over to where I stood wide eyed at the power radiating from my body.

Yamcha and Tien were finally up and working the kinks out of their joints while starring in a similar manner as Krillin. "Wow, I can't believe how much he's changed," Yamcha said in disbelief that this was the same well-behaved and shy kid they all knew.

"It's like he suddenly became a man," Tien observed.

"Yeah you got that right," Krillin agreed.

Seeing that my friends were all healed, I flew down to where Cell stood. He finally uncrossed his arms and looked on loathingly at me and prepared to fight as I floated towards him. Streaks of lighting whirled around my body as I walked up to Cell and stopped a few yards away, prepared to make him pay for all that he had done, while Cell just stood there glaring at mes.

Cell's expression soon changed to an amused smirk, "Hmm now…"

With that I got into a fighting stance then launched myself at Cell. The android made a quick swipe at my charging frame only to have me dodge so quickly that it looked as if Cell's hand had gone through a ghost that had come then phased out of view. He looked up to find me floating above. Growling Cell shot up after me. I quickly retaliated with a kick but Cell merely dodged it in the same manner I had dodged Cell.

Cell threw punch and kick after another at me who dodge and blocked them all easily as if this was nothing more than child's play. Cell quickly grew agitated and roared: "Stop mocking me!" He emphasized his frustration with a side kick at my head. I only blocked it with my arm and then began to throw a series of intense kicks and punches at Cell. The evil android retaliated by trying to send back his own attacks but each time we only collided fist to fist in perfect symmetry with each other.

Vegeta looked up. "It's like Gohan isn't even trying," Calling me by my first name. My display of power must have earned me some respect from the Saiyan prince. Trunks too had to agree with his father.

"Heh, now I get it." Trunks took his eyes off the fight and looked at Piccolo. "I was wondering why you fought Cell first when you knew that you couldn't win." He said to Dad. "You went first because you wanted Gohan to see how Cell fought, didn't you?"

"Is that true Goku?" Trunks asked. Dad didn't respond but only smiled and turned his attention back on me.

The fight had somehow gotten near to where the humans who were cowering in fear at knowing they were in danger being so close to the fight as they were. Despite that the announcer continued to broadcast and the cameraman continued to shoot.

"Ladies and Gentlemen this is truly turning into a spectacular fight as this little gold fighter is actually holding his own against a monster like Cell and it seems as if he could actually win! The battle is really heating up as the fight for our survival goes on!"

From on top of a cliff where he had landed, Hercule looked down nervously. "Okay I'll admit it this kid is good but still he owes me big time, if it weren't for me there's no way he'd be winning right now." In a way he had a point as he was the one who had thrown 16's head over to me.

Blow after blow exchanged with neither parties showing signs of slowing down or giving up. The sky filled with booms and massive amounts of raw energy swirled in the air as the battle raged on. The energies were strong enough to send the woman and Hercule's students to the ground covering their heads in fear for their lives.

I had to get them out of here, otherwise they will get seriously injured, or even die!

Hercule opened his eyes to see me standing right in front of him. I stared up at Cell, whose anger was growing by the second. "You're mine!" Cell yelled powering up his arm with a massive amount of force for a powerful punch directed at me. Cell didn't care that there were three helpless humans there, they were nothing but insects in his eyes anyway.

Cell's punch created a huge creator in the ground but all that he had hit was rock instead of his target. I had, with my super-human speed, gathered up all of the news crew and Hercule's group and flown them all to safety on top of a nearby rock out of harm's way. All the humans looked up in surprise to see that they were still alive and that I was standing over them protectively.

_"__How did he do that?!"_ Cell questioned furious at seeing that not only was I unscratched but the humans were also unharmed. _"__Why you…"_

I floated up into the sky never losing my cool expression and never saying a word, then descended downward onto the ground looking at the monster that was twice my size fearlessly with nothing but a desire to make him suffer.

"That's it Gohan." I heard Dad say.

"Well it looks like watching your fight with Cell has really helped him out," Piccolo commented.

"Thanks but I doubt that," Goku said back, "Right now Gohan's way beyond needing my help,"

"He is?"

"Yeah, I'd say he's winning," Krillin said.

Yamcha nodded his head in assent. "Yeah it's almost too good to be true," Tien added. Vegeta was also taking in the fight with a dark scowl on his face.

"_No this is maddening."_ He stated fiercely. "_It's bad enough that Kakarot has surpassed me in power but now his son has too!"_ He glanced over at Trunks who came up to him and gave him a sensu bean.

"Here take this." Trunks held the bean to his father who stood clutching his wounded shoulder.

Vegeta growled. "I hate when I'm forced to take these." He said like a whiney little kid who didn't want to take his medicine but took it anyway and ate it.

The fight continued with Cell throwing a swift punch, I bent back just a little missing it by inches easily. Then flew up to Cell and the fight continued with Cell throwing everything he had at me and not even making a scratch as I was able to block and dodge everything being thrown my way.

"_Why do my punches_ always _miss you?!"_Cell's anger was clearly showing in the fierceness of his attacks. "Enough of this!" He roared, destroying a cliff with one punch.

As the smoke cleared the android looked furiously around for me who had disappeared from his view. He turned to find me behind him floating in the air, not even half a second later I was standing right in front of the green monster. Cell growled and began to power up and unleash as much of his energy as he could leaving behind nothing but rubble in the wake of his power.

I was unimpressed and just floated back to the earth and stood waiting for Cell to make his next move. The android was getting fed up with me just toying with him.

"I've had it!"He yelled and flew down in front of me and said: "Don't get too confident for I have yet to show you what I am truly capable of, but you will see soon enough."

"Can it." I responded to the threat speaking for the first time.

Cell looked taken aback at being shown such disrespect by a child, then smirked. "Ah a cheeky one… well then let's see how you bear against me when I fight at full strength."

Upon hearing this all the Z fighter couldn't believe it, all this time this wasn't even Cell's full power?

"No." I heard one of them gasp.

"What! You mean he wasn't even trying up until now?" Tien asked completely shocked.

"Oh great…" Yamcha muttered.

"Where is that fiend hiding all of his power?" Vegeta growled.

"He's only bluffing." Trunks offered trying to keep his rising fear down. "He's trying to scare Gohan."

They weren't the only ones who had heard the news crew and the entire world had heard Cell as well. "L-ladies and gentlemen Cell has just declared that what we've all witnessed so far isn't even his full power," the announcer stuttered struggling to say the words as sweat appeared on his brow from nervousness. "Could this really mean that we're all doomed and that this brave little kid is about to meet his match and be defeated by Cell?"

Dad and Piccolo remained silent and watched as Cell unleashed his full power. A golden aura surrounded Cell and the ground quaked and pieces of rock broke about and were lifted into the air. Hercule was thrown back by the power of Cell and the Z fighter clenched their teeth against it.

"T-this is just another one of his tricks," Hercule said aloud. "That's it just a horrible illusion and nothing more."

The whole planet seemed to be shaking beneath Cell's power. I didn't look impressed. "I've been waiting for you to turn it up."

"Well I guess this shoots my theory out the window." Trunks stated as he used his arms to protect himself from the debris flying everywhere.

"Incredible." was all Vegeta had to say.

"Don't give up now Gohan!" Piccolo cried.

I wasn't planning too, sheesh.

"I don't believe this, it seems like it's getting stronger." Yamcha exclaimed.

"The whole planet is going to explode!" Krillin cried out.

Krillin wasn't too far off with his assumption as the whole planet Earth could feel Cell's power, it truly felt like the end of the world. It must have been frightening enough to feel Cell's power even from hundreds of miles away. The oceans roared and the sky changed swiftly, it seemed like it was the end at last.

The Z fighters looked upon in fear as Cell's massive power was still being unleashed. Never did they think that Cell would be this powerful. Yet I still stood in the same spot unmoving as if Cell's display of power was nothing that I didn't expect from the very start.

At last Cell's power seemed complete. "It looks like it's time to find out what Cell can really do." Dad said.

Piccolo could only offer this to say about Cell's power: "It's amazing, he's making the whole earth shake."

"This freaks totally out of control!" Krillin exclaimed fearfully. It seemed that Cell would end of destroying the planet just from this fight and the amount of energy he had released alone. "But how do you stop something like that?"

"Go do it Gohan," Trunks said hoping the best of luck to me, who in the future would be his mentor and teacher.

Cell finished displaying his power and said to me amused, "So kid are you impressed by what you see?"

"Is that all you got?" I replied coolly.

Cell's face took a cruel twisted laugh that soon turned into anger at not even seeing me flinch and shot a punch that hit me directly in the face. I anticipated the attack, and could have easily dodged it, but I decided against it. I wanted to feel Cell's new strength first-hand. It was even weaker that I had initially thought. At long last Cell had managed to hit me and he laughed triumphantly.

Trunks looked on in horror at Cell's new power. "Man he's quick."

"His speed has increased as much as his power…incredible!" Vegeta observed.

Cell's smile soon vanished as he saw that I didn't even look hurt at all from that punch that could have easily sent me flying off a mile away and into unconsciousness. Cell reared his fist back for another punch but I beat him to it, slamming my fist hard into Cell's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Cell took several steps back holding his gut as greenish blood poured out of his mouth.

Everyone but Dad looked amazed. The android certainly wasn't unconscious, that was for sure, as he glared loathingly at me, about to try to punch me once more but I was quicker and sent a powerful right hook at the killing machine, sending Cell back even further. Cell struggled to get up and ended up falling down on one knee from the pain he was in and tried once more but fell again to the ground.

"This can't be." He said. "How could a mere child cause me so much damage when not even Goku, who was presumably the most strongest fighter on Earth, couldn't even get me to show his true power?!" He looked in fear at my cold teal eyes as lighting still swirled around my muscular body. "He only got two punches on me as an attack… ahhh… so why am I so damaged?"

I smirked, enjoying seeing Cell in utter agony.

"You aren't a child, you are a monster!" Cell exclaimed as he looked at me with terrified eyes.

"A monster, huh?" I sneered. "What's wrong Cell? Isn't this what you wanted? I warned you! I told you what would happen if you pushed me too far, but you didn't listen! You forced me to awaken my hidden power, and now you cower in fear. You have no one to blame but yourself. After all, you unleashed this so called monster, and now you are afraid because you know that I am going to destroy you!"

"Noooo!" Cell stammered. "I am the ultimate fighter, I have no equal! No one can destroy me, NO ONE!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't you have a new speech yet? That one is kind of getting overrated."

He growled. "I am tired of playing these childish games!" He yelled and created two destructo disks in his hands. He flung both of them at me simultaneously.

I shook my head slowly. _Pathetic._

I caught the disks without struggle in my own grasp and neutralized them with my energy easily.

Cell's eyes widened. "You little fool, I will show you what true power is!" He continued yelling arrogantly. "Special Beam Cannon!" He started laughing confidently. "Now what will you do?"

"Watch and learn; but in your case, just watch." I retorted and swept the blast effortlessly away with one hand.

He still was not giving up. "Rapid fire!" He yelled and fired thousands of mini blasts at me.

I didn't feel the need to dodge this poor attempt of an attack. My ki swallowed Cell's blasts, neutralizing them without effort, leaving him stunned. He actually shook out of fear as I walked towards him.

Cell blasted into the sky, not allowing me to get any closer. He gathered energy for a Kamehameha wave. "I will not be humiliated by a child!" He screamed at me "It is time for you to learn some respect." He laughed. "Here you go! Let's see you try and stop this. I am going to blow up the earth, and there is nothing you can do!"

I shook my head and sighed in annoyance; such a cowardly attack.

"Gohan get out of there, he's gonna do it!" Krillen suddenly panicked as he recognized Cell's stance.

I frowned in disbelief at my bald friend. _Seriously?_ They are still doubting my power after all the have witnessed _and_ felt during this battle. _Wow._

I ignored his plea and stood there motionless as Cell launched the blast down towards me. My friends were freaking out hard-core by now; I can't believe they think that I cannot handle this puny blast.

I started charging my own Kamehameha wave under my breath as Cell's one neared. Just before his blast could connect with the earth, I launched mine. Cell was left powerless as my blast consumed his, and was heading straight in his direction.

"No! I can't stop it" he yelled and the blast collided with his body. I never took my eyes off him. When the smoked cleared Cell was barely alive: his left leg and arm were completely disintegrated and there was not much left of his head. I smiled, finding his damaged state amusing. _Oh how the tables have turned. _I snickered.

"Gohan!" My dad yelled. I turned my head to face him, annoyance clearly printed on my face. "You got to take Cell down right now, before he regenerates!" He instructed sternly.

"Take him down now?" I repeated, irritated. Hmmmm, nope I don't like the sound of that. I glared at my father, my eyes filled with hatred. I could see him flinch as his eyes connected with mine. A devious smile spread across my lips. "No." I turned my head towards Cell. "I think I'll wait. I am going to let him suffer for a little while."

"Gohan, listen to me!" My dad yelled again. "You got to finish him, do it now!"

Whatever.

"We all know you have the power, it is time to use it!" I ignored his pleas and turned my attention to Cell again; waiting for him to regenerate.

I clenched my fists. "You made this _my_fight." I stated maliciously. "And you are going to let _me_ finish it." My voice was threating. "Remember who the strongest one now is." I finished, not even bothering to see what their reactions were, turning my attention back to Cell.

Cell was just done regenerating and was shaking with rage. "You little insect, you have made a fool out of me!" He yelled and began powering up. The earth shook as Cell doubled in size. I yawned, bored by his useless efforts.

"Now I will be the one who destroys you!" Cell yelled. He tried to land a punch on me, but he was _way _too slow; he may have gained a magnitude of power, but his speed decreased harshly.

I dodged his attempts effortlessly. He was no match for my speed. All his efforts were in vain.

I kicked Cell across his face and punched him in the stomach in one swift movement. Cell doubled over and clutched his stomach in pain. He fell to the ground, coughing up blood. I smiled, seeing Cell like this made me happy. He started to get sick and regurgitated 18. He was not in his perfect state anymore!

"You, w... what have you done?! I was perfect! You ruined everything you brat! My power, gone..." Cell whispered.

"I warned you." I stated simply in a mocked tone.

"ARRRGH!" Cell tried to land a punch on me again, but his speed has decreased even more than before; I dodged every blow. I jumped back a few metres, to get momentum, and rushed forward, head butting him in his chest. He skidded several metres away on his stomach. His arms were shaking as he tried to get on his feet again.

I took a few menacing steps toward Cell.

"N... Noo! Don't! Stay away from me!" Cell whimpered. He tried backing away, but stumbled over his own feet, and came crashing to the ground again, on his butt. He didn't try to get up this time. I looked at his pathetic figure as I stomped on his hand, crushing it.

"Give up." I instructed.

"Never." he yelled and tried to lift himself. I watched him get to his knees and kicked him back down. He let out a frustrated cry. "I will kill you, boy, I swear I will!"

I laughed without a trace of humour in my voice. "Oh really, Cell? Aren't we past the empty threat stage yet?"

"Nooooooo! I am perfect! Doctor Gero designed me to be indestructible. I am not going to be defeated by a lowlife like you. I will not allow it!" Cell began powering up again. "If I'm going down I'm taking you, _and this pathetic planet_, with me!" Cell grew bigger in size as he unleashed more power. I sighed, not this again.

"Oeh, I am really scared." I mocked in a baby-ish voice.

"Hahaha! I'm not joking boy!" He laughed. "I'm going to destroy the earth!"

"Well Cell, you surprised me yet again. I am so sorry, but I cannot compete with _this _power." I said sarcastically and got into my signature fighting stance. "I can't say that this hasn't been fun Cell, but I'm afraid your time is up. It's time for me to end this."

"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you." Cell smirked. "I'm in my second stage, remember? Doctor Gero installed a bomb inside of me, strong enough to kill any threat, no matter his strength." Cell let out a menacing laugh. "The fight is over boy. I won." He exclaimed victoriously.

"I'm not going to let that happen, freak! I will kill you before that bomb goes off!" I countered.

He snickered wildly. "Oh, that's not going to work my dear boy. If you touch me, I will explode, taking you and all your pesky little friends with me. The earth will be no more." Cell threatened.

"You're bluffing." I retorted, unsure.

"Maybe so, but will you take that risk?" He asked smugly.

My arrogance vanished. Crap, he's right; I have no way of knowing if he is lying or not. My eyes widened. No... What have I done? I fell to my knees, defeated. Cell really won. If I had just killed this bastard when Dad told me to; this will have never have happened. I let the power go to my head. Why didn't I listen? I let them down again! I am a failure. Dad trusted me. He believed in me. "Why, why, why was I so stupid?!"

"Don't blame yourself boy. There was no way you could have defeated perfection anyway." Cell mocked.

I beat my fists on the ground, cracking it. Cell won; there is nothing I can do to stop this monster now. "How could I have let this happened?!" I scolded myself aloud. Dad was counting on me. _Everyone_ was counting on me! I started sobbing uncontrollably; I couldn't help it. Piccolo's teachings of "crying is only for the weak" played over and over like a broken record in my mind, but that just made me cry harder. I raked my brain, searching for a way I can turn this around, but my mind was clouded with hatred and rage; I couldn't think straight. Dammit! I rested my head in my fists and continued to weep.

I looked at my hands. I hated what I saw. I resented the fact that I knew martial arts. I looked at my friends, seeking some comfort. But I saw it: behind their encouraging smiles and sympathetic eyes I saw the blame.

I felt my father's energy coming closer. I slowly raised my head and stared at him with a puzzled expression. "D...Dad?" He smiled down at me. It was not a happy smile.

"I am so proud of you Gohan." He said. "Take care of your mother for me."

He put one hand on Cell's balloon-like body and rested two fingers on his forehead. My eyes widened. I recognized this stance... "Dad, don't!" I pleaded.

"Goodbye, my son." He greeted with a smile.

I jumped up with a magnificent speed, trying to stop him from sacrificing _himself_ for my mistake. I tackled him to the ground just in time, and held his arms down with my hands, preventing him from escaping.

"I'm sorry Dad, but I will _not _allow you to die for my mistake." I stated sternly.

"But, Gohan." He said, panicked. "He will destroy the planet if we don't do something."

"I'll do something." I replied with determination, rushing Dad quickly back to the others again. I shot Piccolo a look.

"Please don't let him come back down there again." I whispered under my breath, only for his ears to hear.

He shot me a peculiar look. "What are you going to do?" He asked.

My expression stayed emotionless. "What I have to."

"Gohan." He said longingly. "Don't get yourself killed."

I smiled at my best friend. "I don't plan on it." Throwing him a thumbs-up, I flew back down to Cell.

I have to think of something. There must be a way to destroy this monster. _Think Gohan, think!_ I urged myself.

"This is not a good time to get distracted, boy." Cell snickered. "You should have allowed your father to take me away. At least Earth would have survived then."

My mind was still running at full speed in search for a solution. Then it hit me. I thought back to the time we fought with Garlic Junior; Piccolo's entire body was disintegrated in the battle with one of the goons, but he was still able to regenerate himself. When I asked him about it later, he told me that as long as his head was still intact, he could regenerate; probably where his lead regenerator cell is located.

Cell _must_ have one too, and no matter the vastness of his power, he will not survive or be able to regenerate if _that_ cell is destroyed. Doctor Gero must have programmed him so that the cell stays protected somehow when his 'suicide bomber mode' is activated.

All I have to do is destroy _that_ cell, and then all this horror will be over.

I knew what I had to do...


	4. Chapter 4: The Horror Ends

**Chapter 4: The Horror Ends **

As I stared into Cell's malevolent eyes, I knew what had to be done. I created this mess, so I had to clean it up.

I turned around and faced my friends for what may be the last time. Strangely I felt at peace. My eyes studied their figures for a last time, knowing that I will not see them again in the near future. I smiled sincerely. Even after all the horrid things I went through as a child, I still had a good life and I would not trade it for anything!

I could see the confusion in their eyes, and it broke my heart that I caused that. But it will soon be alright guys... I could see that Piccolo 'sensed' what I was going to do. Strange, he was more than a father to me than my biological father ever was. We just connected on a level that Dad and I never did. I could see his eyes screaming "no!" but there is no other way. I nodded slowly at him, letting him know that there is no other way. These guys are way too important to me; they deserve to live a long and happy life, even if it means, without me; I will not take _that_ away from them too.

I turned around and faced Cell; walking slowly towards him, determination set in my paces. Rage exploded inside my body at his mere sight. I resented him for all the pain he has caused and all the blood he has spilt; but mark my words, he will _not_ continue, I will make _dead _sure of that...

I glared at up my enemy, hatred apparent in my features. "You will not win!" My cry echoed through the desert as my power increased. Lightning surrounded my body as I powered up and my muscles bulked bigger with the sudden boost, actually tearing small parts of my gi.

Cell was surprised by my sudden increase of power, but not fazed. "You fool! Haven't you realized yet that you are up against the perfect weapon?!" He asked rhetorically. "You cannot defeat me." He repeated the sentence he has overused greatly in this battle.

Ugh, I was getting tired of that speech.

All the power I had inside me burst to the surface like a volcano. I took a deep breath as I stepped one more pace towards Cell; practically touching him. It sickened me that I was at such close proximity with him, but I had to do what I had to do... A devious smile spread across my face as I looked up at him.

"Checkmate." I whispered smugly and he frowned.

I formed a powerful and inescapable shield around Cell and I, imprisoning the two of us securely in it. I could see that Cell was shocked. "So you are not giving up yet boy?" He laughed. "Don't you realize that there is nothing you can do to stop me? You will just speed up earth's inevitable doom."

My eyes never left his. "Kaaaaaa Meeeeeeeeeeee" I started chanting. Cell's eyes widened as he realized what I was doing. He tried to power up, but failed drastically, my energy, being in such a short distance from him, was neutralizing his. He banged fists vigorously against the shield, trying with all his might to get out.

"No, stop!" Cell panicked aloud; as arrogant as he is, he knew that not even he would survive this blast.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaa Meeeeeeeeeeee" I continued chanting. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I released the most powerful Kamehameha I have ever done in my life, into the shield, directly at Cell.

The blast consumed me _and _Cell completely.

The energy disintegrated my clothes, ripping at my flesh and tearing away my skin. It hurt; I have never experienced an excruciating pain like this in my life.

_You have to hold on for just a little while longer._ I chanted to myself over and over and over through the pain. The beating life forces of all my friends outside being my strongest motivator yet.

_Why won't the bastard die?!_ I panicked as I felt my control slipping. _I cannot take this for much longer..._

Right on cue, Cell disintegrated completely, not even a speck left of his body. One minute I could feel Cell's life force radiating beside me and the next moment there was just an empty vacuum from where he had stood. I realized his energy signal was completely gone, but I didn't let go of the blast just yet, not wanting to take any chances. I frantically searched for Cells' ki after about one more minute, but couldn't locate it.

I finally let go of the blast, relieved. It shot up into the sky; probably going to travel the remainder of his energy out in space.

My mangled body fell to the ground with a loud thump. I couldn't feel anything, I barely registered that I was somehow still alive. Is it really possible to still be alive after that? I tried to stand up, but I couldn't move a muscle. My body just laid there on the ground like a piece of meat.

Maybe I am dead after all. Wait, I can feel the energies of all my friends around me. Their life-forces were still pulsing violently. They are alive; I am alive! I wanted to smile but I couldn't get my lips to move. Piccolo whispered in my ear that everything will be alright, but I could hear his voice shaking with doubt.

"Hold on Gohan, we are taking you to Dende now, you will survive. Don't give up on me now kid, you hear?!" Piccolo yelled. If I had control over my body I would have flinched. I must try to hold on for a little longer, maybe I could be healed. For the first time in a long while, I felt hope.

Piccolo picked me up in his arms like a baby. "Yamcha, Tien, take Trunks and Vegeta." He instructed as he jumped into the sky with me safely in his grasp; speeding with haste to earth's guardian and our healer.

We reached the lookout in a flash. I felt more ki's gathering around me; my mother's, Bulma's, Dad's and Dende's. I could hear my mother screaming at everybody. "How could you have let my baby fight with that monster?! He is still a child and you are grown men! You should be ashamed with yourselves." Her voice turned to disbelief. "Letting a child fight your battles." She rushed towards me and screamed. "Gohan, my poor baby, we should get you to the hospital!" She put my head on her lap and caressed my face gently.

Dende hurried to my side. "Don't worry Chi-Chi; he is better off with me than in any hospital." She relaxed a bit after Dende's statement.

A few seconds past and Dende spoke. "I...I cannot heal him." His voice was filled with sadness. "He is too damaged."

"No no no! You didn't try hard enough Dende! Try again!" Mom sobbed next to my body.

"I did my best, I am so sorry Chi-Chi." He apologized sincerely.

I wanted to cry too; I hated seeing my mother sad.

Dende turned his attention to Trunks and Vegeta. He placed his hands over their chests and Trunks' eyes were the first to shoot open. "Wow, thank you guys, I really thought I was a goner." He dusted the dust from his clothes and smiled. "Gohan beat Cell! That is amazing!" he exclaimed. "By the way, where is he?" He said looking around him.

"There." Piccolo said emotionless and pointed to my mangled body.

I heard Trunks gasp as he saw the horrible and bloody condition I was in.

Vegeta also awoke, perceiving the situation. "He was a noble warrior." He stated respectfully as he got up to his feet.

"No!" Mother snapped at Vegeta, "He _is_a noble warrior, _IS_! Stop talking like he is already dead; he is not!"

Piccolo put a hand on her shoulder. "He can be wished back." He said reassuringly.

She shook his hand off her shoulder. "How can you give up so easily, I thought Gohan was your best friend?!" She asked accusingly. "Best friends don't watch each other die without doing something about it!" She preached.

Piccolo didn't say anything, he just stared at the ground in shame; he knew he let his friend down. "And you," my mother directed to all the z-fighters in a fit of rage, "what kind of friends are you?! "My son just saved all your lives and you have the audacity to just stand there and await his death with open arms?! This is how you thank the earth's savior?!" She snorted in disgust. "Unbelievable."

I felt my life force slipping faster than I could hold on. I knew it was time to let go.

Piccolo's heart sank. "His power is fading fast."

"Gohan please don't go! I need you." She pleaded. She thrust continually on my chest to keep my heart beating. "Please Gohan?!" Tears were streaming down her face; falling on my torso. "I will not allow it!" She screamed in a high pitch at the top of her lungs.

"Chi-Chi, he is not going to make it; all his other vital organs are failing, not just his heart." Piccolo said sadly. "We will gather the Dragonballs; we _will_ wish him back." He tried to comfort her.

"Then do it already and wish for him to be healed!" Mom snapped as she continued pumping my heart manually.

"There is not enough time." Piccolo's voice cracked.

"Of course there is not, if you are all just standing there converting oxygen into carbon dioxide, help me!" She was desperate, but nobody answered to her plea. "Isn't it enough that I had to watch my baby fight that monster today? I will not watch him die too!" She was wailing now. "I just can't bear it..." She whispered sadly.

I summoned all my remaining willpower and smiled for a final time as I drifted off into a never-awakening slumber...


	5. Chapter 5: Otherworld

**Chapter 5: Otherworld **

I was floored by what I saw.

I was standing on a stone pathway leading up to a majestic-looking imperial palace, with many spires and walkways and very fancy decorated archways that gave the whole place the distinct impression of age and power. Below me was fluffy golden-cream-colored clouds and above, a wide immensity of pinkish-lavender sky. It kind of reminded me of twilight-time on earth, but just way more beautiful. My entire surroundings appeared to possess a vibrant, energetic feel, like a surreal dream.

I looked down at myself and patted my body over a few times. No blood, no bruises, no pain.

"I'm dead." I said out loud. "I'm really dead."

Somehow, it didn't seem so frightening now that I was at the literal gates of the afterlife... But what was going to happen to me now?

"Move along, please!" A voice blared, and it sounded like someone was speaking into a megaphone. "No pushing, please! Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the check-in station! Your judgment awaits!"

And for the first time, I noticed the other inhabitants of this strange after-realm. There were dozens of ogres in crisp little business suits complete with ties standing on the edges of the path leading up to the palace. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of tiny little clouds floated up the pathway. Some attempted to cut in line, but with a prod from the ogres, they were quickly disabused of that notion.

"Hey, you!" Someone shouted in my direction, causing me to jump. "Get moving!"

I turned back and saw a blue-skinned ogre beckoning at me.

"Oh, sorry." I immediately apologized, bowing politely. "I'm new here."

The ogre's look wasn't unkind as he spoke next. "Everyone is, kid. But we all have to obey the rules. Now get going."

I nodded. Aside from a few minor incidents, I made it to the palace just fine. Inside was a simple but lavish room decorated with dark wood walls and banners stretching across them, bearing many exotic symbols for the afterlife. A huge mahogany desk stood in the center of the room, and just behind it, seated in an equally large chair, was an absolute behemoth of a man. He was dressed in a smart bluish-purple suit of silk velvet, with a white undershirt, orange tie, and a similarly hued cap with curved ivory horns poking out both sides. The man was red-skinned with full beard with sharp, probing eyes that seemed to watch you in a hawk-like gaze.

Soon, the souls in front of me had been judged and sentenced, and I found myself standing alone in front of the giant man. I gulped.

"Hmm, Gohan." He said, flipping through a notebook. "I wasn't expecting to see your case for several decades." He peered over the book to get a good look of me.

_I wonder why that is_. I thought grimly.

"Um, excuse me, sir, but are you the Great King Yemma?" I inquired, remembering some tales my dad had told about the man who delivered the judgments. "The one who decides what happens to the deceased?" And then I remembered my manners. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude." I bowed politely with hands clasped, bowing my head. "But I've never been dead before. This is all very new to me."

To my surprise, the great giant began laughing. I blinked.

"Polite, aren't you?" He said. "Yes, I am the one. But now the question is what to do with you, Mr. Son."

"What do you mean, King Yemma?" I inquired, hoping that he didn't consider sending me to HFIL.

"Well, your file is exemplary." King Yemma explained. "You may have noticed you have your physical body." At my nod, King Yemma went on. "As it currently stands, few souls like you and your father have ever been allowed that special privilege. Your next destination now is your choice. There are many places in Other World you can choose to go to."

I blinked, overwhelmed by the thought. I didn't know what my destination options were, and I felt too embarrassed to bother King Yemma with such a trivial question. "Well, if it's my choice, can I go to the place my father chose when he was dead?" I asked, knowing that I would be happy with what my father was happy with.

"Hmmm..." King Yemma murmured as he started flipping through his giant notebook. "Yes, your father. I sent him to King Kai's planet, but your service record is definitely worth heading to the Grand Kai's planet to train. Maybe this is what you want, Gohan?"

I nodded, my friends were anyway going to wish me back in the next couple of days, I might as well have some fun while I am up here. "Oh yes, please, King Yemma, that sounds just fine."

"Very well then." With that, King Yemma stamped something across my file. "You're all cleared. Just head through that way" — King Yemma gestured in the direction of an open doorway — "and you'll come to the Higher Plane."

"Awesome!" I exclaimed. "Thank you so much, King Yemma!"

I walked through the doorway, and to my surprise, I found myself standing in an open field full of hovering platforms similar to Kami's Lookout, and on each of these platforms stood a jet airliner. After that, I was processed by even more ogres. After being put on Plane 4-B, which, the ogres explained, was one of the few planes that ever flew to the Grand Kai's planet, I obediently marched to the platform my plane was on. It was a bit dingy and beat up, but it still looked like it would fly.

However, nothing, not even the beat-up old plane, could dampen my spirits.

_This is truly heaven_, I thought happily. Then I sighed as the sobering reality of the situation caught up with me. _I hope Mom, Dad and all of my friends are doing alright back on Earth. Don't worry about me too much__,__guys. We'll see each other again soon._

Feeling a bit melancholy, I looked out the window and gasped.

The plane that I was in was soaring high above in a pinkish-lavender sky. Off in the distance, the warm brilliant glow of a yellow sun could be seen, adding a vibrant splash of natural beauty to the extravagant vista. And there, only a few thousand miles away, was a planet, sparkling brightly like a magnificent diamond and covered in blue and green swirls.

_Wow...__It's... it's absolutely gorgeous. I guess that's the Grand Kai's planet._

My plane was on a direct course straight towards that world. As my plane circled in for a landing at the airport, I could make out the individual oceans and landmasses. A few seconds later, the plane I was in swooped downward, angling in for a landing, and after several minutes of bumps and clangs reminding me once again of the sorry state of the rickety old plane, everything settled down.

I unbuckled and stood up.

"Oh boy, this is it!" I said with a wide grin.

Just then, a rather attractive uniquely colored Other World flight attendant came into the seating area. She had nice curves and was built rather pleasingly, with green skin of a rich emerald color as well as captivating violet-hued eyes that seemed to be alive with energy and innocence, and she wore a tight, form-fitting stewardess's outfit that hugged her body rather tightly, particularly around her chest. I blushed a bit at just how beautiful this woman was.

"We've arrived at our destination." She informed me kindly. "Please, follow me and I'll take you to see the Grand Kai's planet."

"Oh man, thank you so much, miss!" I said happily. "You're too kind!"

"Oh, just doing my job, is all." She giggled, utterly charmed by my cheerful attitude.

Once we were outside the plane, I marveled at the sight. Before me stretched a wide expanse of green meadow interspersed with trees and rounded, stylized buildings. The field was populated by beings from many different races that I couldn't even begin to guess how many species were represented. Some looked completely human, then there were others ranging across the entire spectrum, from the humanlike to the vaguely human to many more who looked nothing like a normal human being and were totally alien. But more than their appearance, I could _sense_ the high energy each and every one of them was emanating, from those who felt as strong as Frieza at his maximum to the truly terrifying ones, each as strong as Cell!

_Wow__,__I had no idea there were such capable fighters in the afterlife!__ Any one of them here could have defeated Frieza__,__or the androids easily! Amazing! Dad would really appreciate this. _

"Incredible, isn't it?" The stewardess asked.

"I'll say." I agreed, still in awe.

Stepping down from the ramp, I turned back to face the pretty woman.

"Thank you so much for your help, lady." I said with another polite bow.

"It's no trouble at all!" The woman said with a big smile. "Bye!" She greeted as I headed off across the field. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for!"

As the battered old plane took off again, I walked across the wide open space. After about fifteen minutes, however, I was beginning to feel lost, completely overwhelmed by the sheer size and feel of the Grand Kai's planet.

"This place is huge!" I moaned.

"Hello there, young one." A voice said as a sudden shadow fell over me.

I turned to discover an insanely muscular man standing right there behind me. His face was framed by thick, wavy, golden blonde locks running down his back and massive, bulging muscles straining underneath the simple white tunic he wore, and the man possessed a red headband strapped around his forehead, a heavy-looking belt, and a halo completed the look, but the expression on his face was nothing but kindly.

"A bit lost, are you?" The man chuckled sympathetically.

"Um... yeah, kinda," I admitted, scratching my head. "I am looking for the Grand Kai. King Yemma told me he is hosting a tournament?"

The man chuckled. "The Grand Kai holds a tournament every week." He stated. "The next one is tomorrow, so all you have to do to enter is get together with the Kai of your quadrant. From which quadrant are you?" He asked friendly.

"Uh, quadrant?"

He smiled. "From which galaxy are you from? North, South, East or West?"

I grinned bashfully. "I don't know precisely." I admitted. "But I am from Earth."

His eyes widened. "The gem of the Northern quadrant." He stared at me with a peculiar expression on his face. "It has been a while since someone from Earth joined us. Humans don't tend to get particularly strong."

"Oh they don't." I cleared up. "But I am a Saiyan."

He frowned.

"Or halfway anyway. I am half human too."

"You are a Saiyan hybrid?"

I nodded.

He snickered. "First time we have a Saiyan here with us. They usually get sent to HFIL." He shook his head. "But anyway, where are my manners? I'm a Northerner too, so I'll take you to the Northern Kai."

I smiled. "Gee, thanks mister! That is very nice of you!"

"It's really no effort at all." He reassured.

"So are you going to compete in the tournament?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

He chuckled. "No, I have a personal rule of only competing in a tournament every five years and I competed last year, so. It gives me enough time to improve my skills and strength."

I nodded. "I should have died last year. You look like a worthy opponent." I complimented.

He smiled. "Thank you." He said sincerely and looked me over with a sad expression on his brow. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your age?"

"Nine." I answered immediately, not feeling offended at all.

He nodded. "That is awfully young."

I didn't answer. Instead, I closed my eyes, opening my heart and mind to the world around me. There was a _very_ strange texture to the feel of this world, almost as though my ability to sense energy had shifted somehow upon my death, but I quickly adapted to this change.

"That is the Kai you have to speak to." The blonde man pointed to a short blue man with pointy ears. He was wearing round sunglasses and stood with a group of other people that also resembled his appearance.

"Just introduce yourself and you will be fine."

"Thanks a lot, mister!" I said gratefully.

"It was no problem, little man." The man chuckled. "And the name's Olibu, by the way."

"Well, thanks for all of your help, Mr. Olibu. My name is Gohan."

"Gohan. I will remember that! Good luck." He said as he sprinted off.

"Bye!" I called after him.

I walked over to the group of Kais and tapped on the shoulder of the one Olibu pointed to earlier. "Excuse me." I said politely.

The short man jumped, startled, as though he sensed my sudden ki behind him, and he whipped around to face me. His face morphed into an expression of bewildered puzzlement as he gazed upon me.

"You and your father really look a lot alike!" He exclaimed.

"You know my father?"

"Of course I do. And I know you too, Gohan." He smiled politely. "I am King Kai."


	6. Chapter 6: The Tournament

**Chapter 6: The Tournament **

"You are late." King Kai stated angrily when I finally arrived at the tournament. I had spent the last two days exploring the area, not training like King Kai had suggested in the first place. I didn't want to sound cocky, but I didn't think I needed training for this tournament. He looked at me expectantly, wanting an explanation for my tardiness.

"I am sorry sir, but I got lost." I started. "I..."

King Kai interrupted my explanation. "Hey, hey, hey, there is no reason to be so long about it." He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me along with him. "I want to show you off to the other Kai's." He directed to me, sounding smug.

"Uh, show me off?" I inquired with a frown.

"Hush, hush." He said as he dragged me along with him. "It has been a long time since I have had someone from the Northern Quadrant who I have faith in to win the tournament."

I didn't argue with him, I followed his quick little steps, feeling uncomfortable about the fact that I was going to be his show pony in a minute. We soon reached a large group of people, and King Kai immediately started talking.

"I am proud to introduce my warrior fighting today, Gohan." He flashed his arms dramatically towards me and I smiled, giving a little wave to the audience. "He is the son of Goku and a tremendously talented fighter. I hope you guys are prepared to lose the bet."

I pouted. "You made a bet on me?" I whispered in King Kai's ear.

"Like I said, I have faith in you." He whispered back.

"What exactly did you bet in this wager?"

"My car." He answered. "It is my most prized possession."

I bit my lip. Gee, no pressure...

East Kai turned her gimlet gaze on me. I stared at her with confusion.

"You're nothing but a child!" She said, stepping forward. "What on Earth is a boy doing here? This is not a playground. This is a serious competition, and we can't have a bunch of children here, slowing it down!"

I felt my face flush. Yes, I _was_ a kid, but to have it thrown in my face that way... It was just plain rude to say the least!

"Settle down, you old hag!" King Kai snorted. "If you can't tell how powerful this 'boy' is yet, then you're getting old." He insulted her openly. "If you opened your eyes and not your mouth, you'd see that Gohan is going to win this tournament."

East Kai flicked a strand of her fake blonde hair over her shoulder. "A premature statement, North Kai." Her eyes threw daggers at King Kai.

West Kai joined the argument. "Both are you are foolish." He declared. "You'll see that it will be my Pikkon who walks away with the title of champion." He cleared his throat. "Yet again."

"I'm telling you, West Kai, he will beat Pikkon like it's nothing!" King Kai insisted. "It won't even look like he was trying!"

I blushed. King Kai really went bananas when I told him I wanted to compete in the tournament. I was intrigued to meet this Pikkon character everybody went so on about. He must be a great fighter.

West Kai rolled his eyes. "That might be the case, but Pikkon is stronger than your half-breed child!"

"No way, he may be as strong as Gohan, but when he reaches his transformation as a Super Saiyan 2, he will be a gonner." King Kai added.

"You know that Pikkon's strength is not uncommon here." West Kai reminded King Kai.

King Kai rolled his eyes at his statement. "You are overdramatic."

"Overdramatic?" He repeated, agitated. Then they started to yell at each other simultaneously while waving their hands angrily around their pudgy bodies. The tall and pink-skinned South Kai interrupted their quarrel by putting a finger on each of their mouths.

"You will not behave like toddlers here!" I looked around and saw that a few people were staring at us. "I don't care what happened just sort your problems out in private, not when the whole universe is gawking at you!" He stared at them sternly, until they begrudgingly agreed, and walked back to each of their group of contestants.

King Kai turned to me, rubbing his hands together. "Gohan, I have already signed you up. You are up in two turns in the preliminary rounds. Go to your station after I introduced you to the others." He pointed in the direction of a big closed wooden door.

I nodded. "Right."

We came to a stop in front of one of the training structures, where a crowd had gathered. We moved to greet them, but my attention was focused on the man leading this group.

"Greetings, King Kai." He said. "It is good to see you."

"Olibu!" I exclaimed.

The man looked down at me and chuckled. "Hallo Gohan."

"Ah, I see you've met Olibu already." King Kai said, adjusting his sunglasses. "Wonderful. Everybody, I would like you to meet our newest student, the powerful Son Gohan."

Everyone greeted me friendly.

"Hi!" I said, bowing politely before the audience. "It's a pleasure to meet you all!" I smiled at them. "So are they all from the North Quadrant, King Kai?"

"Yes, and like you, they were allowed to keep their physical bodies upon their deaths." King Kai stated. "They are well-known for their deeds of nobility and virtue throughout the cosmos, which are still passed down and remembered long after their passing thousands of years later." Here, he gestured to a purple fox man. "Mijorin here fought off an army of evil invaders about seven thousand years ago." He indicated a small being who vaguely resembled Android Fourteen. "Sarta bravely protected his planet from meteorites three thousand six hundred years ago."

And then he pointed out the tall, stately-looking Olibu. "And Olibu here is also from the Planet Earth, just like you." I gasped, I didn't know that. "He's the guy who most of your heroic legends are based on as well as a few cartoons, and if I am not mistaken Korin's Tower was built as an honor to him."

"And I could go on and on." King Kai elaborated. "All of them were strong martial artists in life, and here in Other World, they're working on their ten thousand years of hard training so that they can earn a private lesson with the Grand Kai himself."

"Ten thousand years?!" I exclaimed in shock. "You mean you have to train that long before you get a lesson with the Grand Kai?"

"Well, yeah." King Kai stated, sounding unfazed. "You have to prove you're qualified or you'd just be wasting his time."

"I suppose."

King Kai put his hands on my shoulders, giving them a small squeeze. "Good luck Gohan. Go out there and win this one for me."

I mustered a nervous smile and shot King Kai a thumbs-up before I entered the fighters' quarters.

As I entered, the doorman gave me a nametag and competitor number. The room was filled with fighters five times my size. But I didn't feel threatened at all, their power levels, compared to mine, was not that impressive.

"Who let the baby in?" A big ogre asked rhetorically, noticing my entrance. I sighed. Here we go... "Hey kid, do you want us to help you find your mommy." His group laughed at his poor joke. I hate it when people underestimate me.

"Thank you, sir, but that won't be necessary." I smiled warmly at them, ignoring his mocks. "I am actually participating in the tournament." I said while showing them my tag and competitor number.

The ogre grabbed his big round belly and laughed. He had a deep laugh, reminding me of a clown. I don't like clowns... His whole body shook at the motion of his snickers and his belly actually vibrated; his fat jiggled like there was no tomorrow! I frowned in disgust and swallowed a mini-vomit. Couldn't he at least have worn a shirt?

"Did you hear that fellas? The little baby is participating in the big boy league." His group laughed again. "Good one boss!" One of his minions exclaimed with an empty smile, three teeth peeked shyly out of his mouth, and gave him a high five. I shook my head slowly at their "wittiness." I turned around and walked off into the opposite direction; I really hope I get to fight at least one of these morons in the tournament.

I examined the room I was in; it wasn't that well-decorated. A few stray stools stood here and there offering comfort to exhausted warriors and withered flowers occupied every corner of the room. Posters of the previous champions decorated the walls. A filthy odor clung to the air; no wonder, millions of garbage pieces stuck to the tiled-floor; despite the numerous trashcans in the room.

I walked to the window facing the tournament-ring so I could see the fight occurring now.

My eyes widened as I saw one of the competitors. From afar he looked just like a Namekian, like Piccolo. I leaned from the window, trying to get a better look. He was wearing a cape and turban too and had pointy ears. Could he really be a...?

"Pikkon is the winner!" The announcer interrupted my thoughts. Pikkon's opponent lay on the ground motionless; the medics came to his rescue and carried him out on a stretcher while he twitched in pain. Pikkon didn't show any emotions on his face, he tugged his hand from the announcer's and walked in even strides back down the pathway from the ring to where I was standing.

I couldn't help but stare at him as he entered the room. As he got closer I realized that he wasn't Namekian; his skin may have been that same mossy green color and he may have had the same peculiar clothing as Piccolo, but that was where the similarities stopped. He was built leanly and his head did look a little small for his big muscular exterior. He didn't have a nose and had medium-sized red eyes.

"What?" He asked uncomfortably when our eyes met.

"You looked just like one of my friends back on Earth from a distance, but you have almost no resemblance to him up close." I explained.

"Uh, good to know." He shifted uncomfortably and extended his arm. "I'm Pikkon from the West Quadrant." I shook his hand. "I am Gohan, from the North Quadrant, nice to make your acquaintance." I smiled at him.

"Quite a grip you have here, kid." He said rubbing his hand.

"Thanks; I have known martial arts since..."

"Can Gohan and Caterpy please report to the ring?" I stopped mid-sentence. "Guess I am up."

I walked down the pathway and jumped gracefully onto the ring. I scrutinized my opponent. He was a giant caterpillar with gloves on all his sixteen arms; wearing bright blue trousers. He was emitting green-yellow slime, I noticed in disgust, which was lying all around the ring by now. I shivered in revolt by the green goo surrounding every inch of me.

"I didn't sign up to babysit!" That worm complained to the announcer. I sighed again deeply; why can't I be taken seriously in the fighting world?

The announcer, who looked like a real-life version of an evil mushroom from Super Mario, waved his hands discouraged in the air. "I don't make the rules mister, speaking of rules," His voice got louder. "If you fall from the ring, start to cry or give up, you lose the match. And poking in the eye or hitting below the belt are just plain mean and are not allowed in this tournament. Needless to say you can't kill anybody in this tournament because they are already dead." He jumped off the ring and blew a whistle. "Let the match begin!" He yelled and the crowd started to cheer.

"GOHAN!" I heard King Kai's voice instantly, louder than all the masses. "Crush him like the worm he is! Go Gohan!" I followed his energy to his seat and signaled him a thumbs up with a smile.

I got into a fighting stance and faced the giant worm. "Ready?" I asked him, unsure if he really wanted to fight; he slumped lazily back and forth and wore a bored expression on his squishy face. He shrugged, as if it took great effort to do such a small motion, he spat a piece of gum he had been chewing out on a tile next to him, I grimaced at his sloppiness.

"Sure, let's get this over with." He said and walked towards me slowly; my eyes never left his approaching figure. He stood right in front of me now; he scowled down at me. "I always get the bums." He complained out loud and tried to shove me. He frowned, confused that I didn't budge at the impact and tried to shove me at least another twenty more times.

I sighed and blocked his arms with my elbow and swung it to the side effortlessly, causing him to bend forward. I smiled at him, our faces were now at the same altitude, and I punched him in the face with as little power I could muster. He skidded across the ring and landed flat on his back with a thud.

"Why do I always get the strong ones?" He moaned, contradicting his previous complaint while clasping two of his hands over his bleeding nose.

I walked towards him, planning to end the fight right now. "Not today brat!" He yelled at me and rolled onto his stomach. I stopped in my tracks as he started to glow a brilliant white. "What are you doing?" I asked him confused; his power wasn't rising so he can't be transforming into a more powerful form.

"I am transforming into my ultimate form. I will be done in 1200 years." He said as a cocoon formed around his body.

My eyes widened. I am not going to wait 1200 years for him to transform! Thank goodness he said it loud enough for the referee to hear. "I am sorry, Caterpy, but I will have to disqualify you; the fight has a one hour limit."

"But..." He started to argue with the referee.

"If you can't finish the fight in the next hour, you are out!" Caterpy refused to listen to reason and continued with his fruitless argument.

I couldn't take it anymore: I slowly flew to the worm, trying to avoid all the gross slime surrounding me, and poked him with my pinkie. He flew out of the ring and crashed into the opposing wall. The crowd cheered wildly!

"We have a winner!" The announcer exclaimed relieved. "Gohan advances to the next round!" I smiled, waved at the crowd and made my way back to the fighters' chamber.

The ogre and his henchmen were first to greet me. "So the baby got lucky in his first fight." He chanted in a monotone voice with his arms crossed over his big chest. "Just wait until you are in a real battle, with, I don't know, me." He said pointing at the fighting chart. "I hope your mommy brought extra diapers so she can change you." He laughed again, thinking he is so funny. I rolled my eyes at his lameness.

I suppressed a smile; I am going to fight that moron after all!

I turned around and walked away, before I could lose my temper and do something I regret. Hmpf, I doubt that I would regret putting those idiots in their place, but nevertheless.

"Hey kid, are those morons bothering you?" Pikkon asked while he leaned against a nearby wall. He saw the whole ordeal. I smiled at him.

"Nothing I cannot handle." A vicious smile spread across my lips. "He is up against me in the next round." My smile grew deeper. I am going to show that moron whose boss. He returned the smile.

"You look like a tough kid." He looked me up and down; he frowned sadly at my appearance. "Exactly how old are you?"

"I am nine." I said in the most cheerful voice I could.

He gave a sympathetic smile. "You started training at a young age too?"

I nodded. "My planet is always in danger. Not a year goes by without the peace being disturbed."

"I know the feeling." His smile grew grave. "At least my planet won't be targeted anymore; some bastard blew it up!" My heart broke when I saw the pain reflected in his eyes.

"I am so sorry." I tried consoling him.

He looked me over once again. "I haven't seen you around here before. You should hang with me. We could have each other's' backs." He invited with a pleasant smile. "I am sure West Kai will not mind an extra, strong, head."

I smiled, flattered. "I appreciate the offer so much, but I am currently training with King Kai, so I will unfortunately have to pass." I left out the part that I was going to be wished back to life in a couple of days. It didn't seem appropriate to mention.

He mustered a small smile at the mention of King Kai's name. "You are a Northerner then?" He chuckled. "I guess we are supposed to be sworn enemies then." He uttered dramatically.

I laughed. "I must admit, I don't quite understand this feud the Kai's are tangled up in, but yeah, we are enemies."

He scratched his head. "Its logic eludes me too." He admitted. "But I hope I will see you in the finals then. You better not hold out on me." He said threateningly.

I gave a confident smile. "I don't plan on it."

The fight with the ogre from the South Quadrant, I didn't bother learning his name, didn't last long at all. He cracked a few more baby jokes, but slowly swallowed all his previous statements as I kneed him in the stomach. He stumbled over; gasping in pain.

He raised his arms in defeat. "I give u..." He didn't have time to finish that sentence. I punched him through the face and attacked him full force with a flurry of kicks and punches. I kicked him in the air, and delivered the final blow to his head; he came crashing down to the ring, creating a dent in under him as he landed.

He lay like a ragdoll, limp, on the ring, but as I slowly neared his motionless body he shot up to his knees. "Please, don't hurt me." He begged and started crying. "I am sorry for insulting you! Please forgive me." He kissed my feet. Wow, he is pathetic.

"If you let me go, unharmed, I will stay out of your way for ever." He pleaded. I almost felt sorry for him, but that didn't stop me from having some last fun with him.

I leaned closer. I smiled as he flinched at my nearness. He was really scared to death at me. "But what if I want to see you more dead than you are right now?" I whispered menacingly.

He yelped out of fear. "I am sure we can make some arrangements." His whole body shook violently out of fear.

I laughed out loud. "I am not going to hurt you man!" I couldn't keep up the charade anymore, I never was that good at acting. My laugh rang through the arena. I kicked him with as little power I could. He rolled off the ring like a ball and landed with a thump on the grass. I let out a victorious cry and the crowd cheered wildly for me. I smiled as I left the ring with my hands held victoriously above my head...

My next opponent was Arqua from the Western Quadrant; his whole body consists out of light blue scales. He had long pointy ears and a fin on his head. He didn't seem that much of a threat; he was skinny and short, just a little taller than me and he had a major melancholy vibe.

I swiftly jumped on the arena while King Kai cheered me on. Arqua walked so slowly and slumped towards me. He struggled climbing onto the ring; the announcer had to give him a boost. I turned my head askew as I perceived the sight. It doesn't look like he will put up that much of a fight. But he must be a good fighter if he has made it this far already...

"Let the fight begin!" The announcer called.

Arqua didn't get into a fighting stance. He swung side to side as if he were drunk. I sped next to him and punched him in the face. He fell to the ring with a thud and just laid there. Not trying to get up at all. Maybe some of his screws were knocked loose in one of his previous battles.

The announcer started counting. "One... Two... Three... Four..." Arqua stood up, again with wobbly legs. He looked in my eyes and started screaming so loudly that I had to cover my ears. A sudden bright flash stunned me and I closed my eyes to protect them from the vivid flash.

My lungs suddenly filled with water and I couldn't breathe. Startled I opened my eyes just to see that the whole ring turned into an aquarium; with me as the fish! I swam up frantically to get some air but I was cut off by Arqua. He was like a cheetah in the water and he flung series of kicks and punches my way.

I struggled to block every blow; I was at a great disadvantage in the water and it was hard to concentrate with the lack of oxygen. I tried desperately to get out once more, but Arqua was too fast. A punch he threw on my stomach caused me to swallow a few more gallons of water. I was starting to get woozy. Think Gohan think! I encourage myself. What would Dad do?

My eyes widened as I remembered one of the techniques he taught me. I closed my eyes and put my hands next to my face. "Solar Flare!" I gurgled through the water. Arqua's agonized scream vibrated through the water and he clutched his eyes in pain.

This is my chance.

I flew out of the water and welcomed oxygen into my lungs in gasps. The crowd cheered wildly as I flew out of the water. Arqua was still disoriented after my attack. 'Thanks Dad.' I whispered under my breath.

"Kamehameha!" I chanted and threw a wave just strong enough to end this battle, into the water. I could see Arqua's eyes widen in horror as he saw the blast nearing him. He tried to swim away but not even he was fast enough to escape the intensity of the attack.

The blast hit the water; causing it to fly in every direction; including the audience. Arqua landed out of the ring a few seconds later, distraught.

"Gohan is the winner! He advances to the final round with Pikkon." The mushroom-headed announcer exclaimed.

I floated down to the arena again, greeted by a cheering crowd. I smiled and waved at everybody. I jumped off the ring and extended my hand to Arqua lying on the grass. "Need a hand?" I asked politely with a smile planted on my face.

He was hesitant but gave me his hand eventually. "Thank you." He said grateful.

"Great battle, you are an excellent fighter." I complimented him. "You almost had me."

He smiled, blushing. "Yes, I didn't count on you countering with such a strong attack." He looked me from head to toes. "You are packing a lot of power for such a small child." I laughed at his statement and continued to the fighter's chamber. Pikkon was first to congratulate me.

"You and me, next." He stated ferociously as he walked towards the ring with determined steps...

Tremors were sent through the arena as our fists connected. I could hear some of the audience gasp as our power reached their seats. We stood for a few seconds like that; our fists touching.

"Let the games begin." Pikkon whispered challengingly and fazed out of sight.

I spun around, just in time to block an upcoming fist directly above my head. I caught his fist in my hand and twisted his arm behind his back. "You have to be faster than that." I whispered and kicked him in his spine, sending him flying across the ring.

He stopped himself mid-air and immediately rushed to me with a magnificent speed. I crossed my arms in front of my face as I braced myself for the impact. His feet connected with my crossed arms and I skidded backwards. I held for dear life, but his strength didn't lessen. Damn, he is strong! At last I unclenched my arms and bended backwards with extreme speed; just before his feet could reach my face. I threw my feet up, into his abdomen and he was sent tumbling into the sky.

He recovered quickly and charged a beam at me. "Death Beam!" he yelled and sent the beam in my direction. I formed a small ki-blast in my left hand and slung it to the nearing beam; it collided with each other and exploded. I fazed from the explosion to Pikkon's behind, hoping that the element of surprise would be on my side, but to my dismay, he was already turned around facing me; he expected my arrival.

"You can sense ki." I stated, unsurprised.

"No." He retorted sarcastically. "I just like this view."

I chuckled. "I _am_ nice to look at, aren't I?" I teased.

He laughed. "Real smooth mister." He smiled arrogantly. "I am tired of these child games. I think it is time for you to see my true power." I was not surprised.

"Then let me return the favor." I replied smugly. He is in for a treat!

We both started to release our true powers. His green fire-like aura rivalled my golden one. I smiled as the familiar power rushed through my veins. I contemplated if I should transform into my second state right now, but decided to leave that as I little surprise for my dear friend here.

"Well this is unexpected!" The announcer exclaimed. "The rookie fighter, Gohan, has just changed into some shiny golden thing." He looked up. "The entire sky itself seems to be shaking from that awesome power. This is going to be an epic battle!" I glared at the announcer in annoyance. Shiny golden thing; is that really the best you got?

After my quick transformation I noticed that Pikkon was still busy with his power up. I waited patiently for him to finish. His cry stopped and he clenched his fists. He looked at me with a confused expression.

"You look different." He noted. He grabbed his turban and cape and flung it outside the ring. Dust settled around the garments and the ground dented in a little bit where it landed. Hmmm, he also trains with weighted clothing. That's was not exactly unexpected.

He snapped his knuckles and neck. "So let's find out if your power has changed as much as your appearance."

I rushed to his side, not wanting him to make the first move, and threw a magnitude of punches at him, but surprisingly, none hit him. I frowned, he was fast. I floated back a couple of inches to get momentum and sent a powerful kick his way. He caught my foot and threw me with incredible force to the ring. I stopped myself just before I could crash, but to my deject Pikkon was promptly in my face, already with a charged blast ready in his hand. My eyes widened in surprise at his speedy approach. I don't have enough time to dodge this attack! I realized in alarm. I threw my hands instinctively in front of my face to protect myself, but he didn't aim for my face, I realized too late.

A massive pain shot through my legs as my gi burned into my flesh when the blast connected on a close range with my lower limbs. My agonized scream echoed through the arena and I fell to the ground. I tried to ignore the pain and got up. Pikkon was rushing towards me again; this guy is a beast!

I blasted off into the sky, creating a huge gap between Pikkon and me. I took advantage of Pikkon's halt. "Masenkoha!" I yelled and threw the blast at him. He caught the blast in both his hands but struggled to hold it. I pushed a little more energy into the blast but Pikkon countered. He summoned enough strength to fling the blast into space, but he was panting after this gesture.

"Had enough?" I taunted; I still had lots of energy to spare.

He blasted into the sky, ignoring my question. He went higher above than where I was floating. "Let's see you dodge this!" He yelled chesty and began spinning like the Tasmanian Devil. A giant tornado formed around his body. "Hyper Tornado Attack!" He shouted; the tornado approached me with an incredible speed.

I frowned. Now what? I have never encountered such an attack in my life!

The tornado effortlessly picked me up and I was engulfed by the wind; I was spinning around very fast in its strong grasp. I couldn't move; the wind was too potent! I was rendered immobile by the strong wind and to make matters worse, Pikkon attacked me from every possible angle; he sent bullet-blasts down the tornado's eye, and there was no way for me to dodge them. The pain was excruciating. Parts of my gi and skin were ripped by his razor-sharp energy. Blood trickled down my slash-wounds, dripping slowly down my body. It was unbearable.

The crowd clung onto their seats and nearby pillars for dear life as the tornado-strong winds reached them too.

"Gohan, you must know that there is no point in fighting it." Pikkon said, trying to discourage me.

A determined expression rested on my features. "We will see about that!" I yelled and summoned all the power I had to transform into Super Saiyan 2. My energy blew the tornado away from me and into space. Why didn't I think about this sooner? I questioned myself. I scoffed in disbelief. The brain is magnificent; it is the most outstanding organ that works for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, right from your birth until you actually need it the most...

Pikkon stopped in his tracks and stared at me with awe and shock as lightning started thundering around my body. I have to act fast, while he is still distracted. I rushed towards him with an extended arm and punched him in the face. He flew backwards, his face twisted into a painful scowl.

I cannot stop now; this transformation was still hard to control, and I found myself lost in all the negative emotions I have successfully buried up until now. There was just no stopping me.

"Ka... me... ha..." I started chanting. But before I knew it I flew down full speed to the ring, creating a crater. Pikkon had head-butted me in the stomach so fast that my brain didn't have time to register his approaching ki. I jumped up quickly, just to see that Pikkon was still advancing towards me very quickly; his speed was so tremendous that it seemed like there was ten Pikkon's on the arena simultaneously. I gathered some energy and aimed a blast at his head. I fired at point-blank range.

He didn't attempt to dodge the blast; instead he smiled devious at me while his power-level doubled. He was now surrounded by a blue aura circling his entire body. He looked so calm, not threatened by my blast at all. I frowned at his odd behaviour; what was he up to?

He extended his arms with clenched fists out in front of him and drilled through my blast. Crap he was so close now! I pushed more energy into my blast.

"You are getting predictable Gohan!" He yelled at me overconfidently and dove under my beam; my eyes widened, if I let go of the blast it will hit the audience, injuring or maybe even killing them, if that was possible, but I am not willing to take that chance. Damn it Pikkon!

Everything was in slow-motion; I retracted my blast back into my hand, causing my hand to glow due to all the ki gathered in it, and tried to punch him in the stomach while he was still diving under the blast; all this happened in a split-second. He anticipated my attack and fell flat on his back to the floor; just barely scraping by my fist. He didn't waste any time; he kicked me through the face before I could retract my fist for a second attempt. Damn, he is right! I am getting predictable, I thought as my face twisted under the weight of his kick.

I skidded across the stadium floor on my back till the edge of the ring. My eyes widened in angst as I clung onto the end of the ring with a nearing Pikkon. This could be it; this could be the difference between victory and defeat for me. I raked my brain for ideas and my eyes lit up as I remembered one of my physic lessons.

I waited for him to get a little bit closer and; perfect!

I pushed myself upward with both of my arms and flung myself into the sky, just barely escaping Pikkon's approaching foot; I made a few summersaults in the air and landed gracefully on my feet a good distance away from my opponent.

Phew! I wiped some sweat off my forehead. He almost had me there; thank goodness I have maths and physics on my side!

Pikkon's hands did a wild dance as he almost slipped and fell out of the ring. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He looked so silly!

Pikkon grunted in frustration and glared at me furiously. He was panting heavily by now. I smiled; his energy was fading away rapidly while mine stayed constant; I still had more than enough energy to spare. I waited patiently for him to recover. It won't be very challenging to fight an exhausted warrior and my Saiyan nature itched for a decent fight.

"I have never..." He paused, panting profusely. "fought someone," he paused again, catching his breath. "quite as powerful as you are. You are either a fighting genius or a complete fool!" He said through all the heaves. "But unfortunately for you, not powerful enough!" He yelled and made some odd movements. I frowned in distress. His power was skyrocketing! A bright blue fire-like aura surrounded his body.

"Thunder flash attack!" He yelled as he brought his two fists together. Uh oh... This doesn't sound good... Why can't warriors name their attacks something like 'the fluttering butterfly' or the 'sparkling swan attack'? Giving your attacks vicious names doesn't make you automatically tough! Speaking of tough...

I braced myself for the impact by throwing my hands in front of my face. The blast collided with me and I was flying backwards. I lay on the ground between all the debris, my hands still planted protectively in front of me.

"Aughg!" I yelled in agonised surprise as a burning pain hugged my arms in a tight embrace. I blew frantically on my upper limbs, desperate trying to cool them off; they were on friggin fire! Thank goodness I managed to extinguish the flames; otherwise I was going to have Hybrid Arm Stew for dinner!

I looked up to locate Pikkon. He is doing those movements again! Nice try bud, but this time you aren't going to hit me! "Ka... Me... Ha... Meha!" I yelled and shot all my energy into the wave as fast as I could.

He shot his blast out, again, at the same time as mine. Pikkon's blast collided with mine and we both struggled to get control over the forceful amount of clashing energies. The wave was currently equal.

I sighed and pushed all the power I had left into my Kamehameha-wave, that first blasted Thunder Attack thing really damaged me, more than I realised.

The blast-battle was in my favour now; Pikkon skidded back as I pushed even more energy in.

The crowd was silent, watching in suspense and wide-eyed as they tried to predict the outcome of our so far, evenly matched battle. I walked forward with the energy-wave, trying to push Pikkon off the ring. "NO!" He yelled and frantically released more energy into the blast. I stared at him with admiration; his body was covered in bruises and blood gushed out of his wounds but he still didn't give up.

A sudden bright red glow yanked me back to reality. The wave got vermillion-red and shot strings of random energy out; looking exactly like the surface of the sun I have seen in books. My eyes widened in horror as I realised that it is going to explode, and it ain't going to be pretty...

The wave erupted like an angry volcano and I was shot through the sky by the incredible force of the once colliding powers. Little pieces of debris collided with my body, but I barely felt it; I wasn't 100% conscious after that blow.

The soft grass caressed my aching body when I landed outside the ring. I sighed. I am out of the ring. I slowly opened my eyes, but I still couldn't see anything. A black smoke-cloud, probably caused by the explosion, covered the entire area, blocking my vision completely. I waited for the smoke to settle and noticed that the arena had completely vanished; only a massive crater was visible to the place where the ring was once firmly planted. My eyes travelled to the area where the crowd was supposed to be; the pavilion barely survived the impact and it was clear that it was going to collapse any minute; all the people were floating in the sky now, waiting in suspense for the referee's reign.

I got up, but fell to the ground again when I tried to put my weight on my right leg. It is broken, I realised as I examined it.

"Well folks looks like we currently have a tie on our hands." The announcer claimed. "The directors and Grand Kai will just rewind the tapes, to see which fighter landed outside, where the ring _was_, first."

I floated towards the announcer. I clutched my left hand with my right one; I suspected it was broken too. "Excuse me." I said in a weak voice, trying to get his attention.

"Yes?" He asked. He frowned when he saw the condition we were in.

"Someone get these boys some healing potions." He yelled and snapped his fingers at the medics as he saw me cringing in pain. I drank the potion and felt all my energy returning to my body. I stretched all my sore muscles and saw Pikkon get up out of the corner of my eye.

A little red minion rushed to the announcer's side and tugged on his shirt. He gave him a little piece of paper and whispered something in his ear. The announcer's eyes shot wide when he was finished reading his message. "Well, I'll be damned." He exclaimed and walked to the center of the landscape, so everyone would be able to see him.

"Well folks, our two wonder boys here," he said pointing to me and Pikkon, "are disqualified for destroying the arena and endangering the deaths of every person on this premise." He looked at both of us sympathetically. "They ruled that the fighters in the semi-finals, excluding these gentlemen here, shall get a chance to redeem themselves. One of them will then be crowned the strongest fighter in the universe!"

I can't believe this! "Maybe next time boys," He said when he saw our expressions. "Can Arqua and Tapkar please report to the arena?" I heard the announcer call vaguely as Pikkon and I walked off in disappointment.

That match didn't last long. Arqua dominated the floor and defeated Tapkar in under five minutes; using that same water technique he used in our battle.

"Arqua is the winner! Congratulations to our new champion! He will receive training with our own Grand Kai." Everybody cheered. I felt happy for Arqua; he deserved it.

"One day I will challenge you to a proper battle." Pikkon said out of nowhere. "Somewhere where we aren't limited by a ring or surrounded by people who can get hurt by our battle." He smiled confidently.

I returned the smile. "Deal, we will have a proper rematch."

He waved at me as he started retreating. "Don't get too much stronger."

I waved back. "Don't count on it! Next time I _will_ beat you!" Our eyes met for the final time and I threw him a congratulating thumbs-up with a brilliant toothy smile. He smiled back at me with astonishment and stared at the cheering crowd chanting his name, in disbelief. I was actually shocked to see a tiny smile spread across his lips. Who knew that he could show emotions!

I grabbed my belongings and headed towards the exit. King Kai suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of my face.

"You lost!" He yelled. "Now I have to give my car to that hag."

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "I am sorry King Kai."

"Why did you let that green goblin win?" He sneered angrily. "We, I mean, you could have been crowned the strongest warrior in the universe!" He said over-passionately. "Do you know how big the universe is?"

I laughed at his ignorance. "It isn't about winning King Kai." I lectured him. "I had fun in that fight and I learned so much." I smiled at him. "That sounds like a victory to me! And besides, I didn't let him win, we are tied. I am perfectly happy being second best."

King Kai blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to decipher the hidden message behind my words "You... Second best?" His voice trailed off as if those words didn't make sense to him together in a sentence. "Try telling that to my car!" He threw his hands in the air in defeat. "I give up. There is no point in reasoning with such a selfish little creature like yourself." I rolled my eyes at his theatricals. "Do you know how big we could have been?" He continued with a crack in his voice. "We could have been Gohan and King Kai." He spread an invisible banner out in front of him with one hand. "The legendary..." He whispered sadly and began to sob quietly.

I felt so sorry for him. "Gosh King Kai, I didn't know you felt that way." I said comforting. I stroked his back to calm his sobs; they only got worse. As I comforted my dad's previous mentor, I didn't even notice the two strong energies heading my way.

"Hallo there." A soft voice spoke and I turned around to face it. I came in contact with two men. The first one I saw was a very tall red person with wrinkles deeply engraved in his broad forehead and flat white hair running down to the small of his back; he towered over me like a mountain, a very angry mountain. He was glaring down at me and his nostrils were flaring wildly. I smiled awkwardly up at him, unsure how to react at his silent hostility.

His friend who spoke was much shorter, I noticed; he was only about a head taller than me. He was lavender-skinned, about the same shade as the sky and his hair looked like a Mohawk-like broom glued to his head. They were both wearing a peculiar form of clothing and even had matching earrings. I shuddered internally. I will never be caught dead in one of those garments.

"I must congratulate you on your battle, Gohan, it was quite remarkable."

I smiled politely. "Thank you, sir. Pikkon is an extraordinary fighter."

He smiled softly and shook his head, causing random rays of sunlight to get caught up in his fair hair. "I wasn't talking about this battle young one." He cleared up. "I was referring to the altercation you had on Earth."

I blinked quickly, processing his words. "You know about the fight I had with Cell?" I asked with puzzlement.

He nodded. "Everyone knows. The power you emitted during it was immense enough to be sensed all the way from here."

I blushed. "Gosh, I didn't realize it was that much."

"Indeed!" He exclaimed. "I noticed your incredible power and immediately took interest; I have never felt such a deep and pure energy in my life, and at such a young age!" He gushed. "It was really extraordinary. I kept closer tabs on you and your planet, which seems to be a magnet for destruction! I felt the power inside you grow in magnitudes further than my wildest imaginations and the power you emitted in your battle with Cell sent shockwaves through the entire universe, in all four quadrants!" He exclaimed. "When I saw you were sacrificing your own life, for your loved ones and people on earth you didn't even know, I knew you were worthy. Such a noble gesture. When I sensed that you were sent here, I just had to come to meet you."

I bowed, having completely forgotten my manners. "I am Son Gohan." I introduced.

"So polite..." The man muttered approvingly. "It is nice to meet you Gohan. I am the Supreme Kai. But you can call me Shin." He gestured to the colossal maroon-skinned man next to him. "And this is my bodyguard and beloved comrade, Kibito." Kibito just gave a grunt as a response.

King Kai chocked on whatever it was he was swallowing. "T.. The Supreme Kai?" He stuttered, completely in a state of shock. "What do you want with Gohan?" He asked bluntly.

The Kai smiled. "I want to make you an offer." He stated, looking me directly in the eye.

I was hesitant, not sure where he was going with this. "And that is?" King Kai urged on behalf of me.

"How would you feel about being my student, Gohan?" He asked in a warm tone.

King Kai broke the silence yet again. "What?" He exclaimed, surprised. "I thought you weren't taking students anymore..."

Supreme Kai stared at him angrily and King Kai stopped mid-sentence. "Gohan is an exception, and it would be a huge waste if his potential cannot be fully unlocked." He stated sternly. His eyes met with mine again.

"I must admit, I actually have an agenda with this, young one." He admitted. "I need your help defeating an extremely powerful enemy."

I involuntarily smiled. The thought of such a challenge intrigued me.

He extended his hand out to me. "I shall take you to the realm of the Kai's. It is very peaceful there, and a lovely place for a discussion."

I paused, looking to King Kai for confirmation. He nodded his head wildly, urging me to take this opportunity.

I took the Supreme Kai's hand and suddenly was whisked away to another galaxy.

I let go of his arm and looked at my surroundings with an open mouth. Several moons lit the majestic lavender sky. The grass was greener than the greenest pastures burned into my memory; this place lets the most beautiful and precious landmarks on earth look like a piece of rotting vomit. It even puts Other World's stunning planet to shame.

The grass was so soft; it flowed like bright green velvet across the valley. This is what I pictured a paradise would look like. There wasn't a dull gland in the whole majestic delicacy.

"Marvellous, isn't it?" Supreme Kai's voice broke through my admiration. I nodded, still flabbergasted by the picturesque sight in front of me.

"What is this place?" I blurted out.

Shin chuckled. "This is the realm of the Kai's." He explained while turning around in a perfect circle with his hands outstretched from his sides. "And it has quite the history."

"Oh?"

"Approximately five million years ago, the Sacred World of the Kais was inhabited by all the Supreme Kais of the universe: Grand Supreme Kai, Northern Supreme Kai, Eastern Supreme Kai, Western Supreme Kai, Southern Supreme Kai and of course me. We were the strongest beings in the universe, or so we thought." His voice turned distant, as if he were millions of miles away, reliving the events through his telling. "A great wizard named Bibidi, unleashed a terrible monstrosity on the once peaceful valley of the Supreme Kais, in a quest to rule the universe. His beast's name was Majin Buu, and he was a mere child, but had a power that would send your mind into a horrid frenzy; a power even greater than mine at that time; don't fret, if he appeared again now, I would give him quite a spanking!"

I chuckled. "So how did you defeat him?" I questioned.

He let out an exasperated snicker. "If only if it were that simple. He is still alive."

My eyes widened in shock. "You didn't kill him?"

He chewed over his words. "Not exactly..." I looked at him confused. "Let me explain; Western Supreme Kai and Northern Supreme Kai were the first and second Supreme Kais to fall defeated before the wrath of the child version of Majin Buu. Southern Supreme Kai attempted to defeat the Majin, but was absorbed by him, to our surprise. The Majin undergone a transformation by this act; he changed from child to his buff Ultra Buu form; he was now even stronger than before..." I listened with awe at his story; I wish I had popcorn! We were walking through the luscious vegetation as he told his tale.

"Ultra Buu attempted to kill Eastern Supreme Kai and myself, but he was stopped by Grand Supreme Kai, who selflessly sacrificed his own life for ours. He was absorbed by Ultra Buu moments later." He wore a sorrow frown on his brow. "Afterward, Ultra Buu transformed into the childish and fat Majin Buu we know today, disrupting his reputation as a cold and efficient killing machine. You see, Grand Supreme Kai was the kindest and purest of us all and when Buu absorbed him, he took part of his personality too; the two became one entity, resulting in Buu becoming tamer and less intelligent. We seized the opportunity and sealed him into an inescapable ball. We couldn't get it over our hearts to kill him; our friends were inside of him after all," He smiled, "but we did however kill Bibidi." I returned the smile, glad to hear that his story had a kind-of happy ending.

"But won't Buu be able to escape his captivity, being so strong and all." I questioned worriedly.

Shin frowned. "That is what I am afraid of." He looked at the ground with his hands clenched into fists. "Bibidi had a son, named Babidi, and I have a feeling he is going to fulfil his father's wishes and try to take over the universe himself."

"Gosh." I shook my head, this was really terrible! "Do you know where he is?"

He turned to face me, his eyes were grim. "Sadly I don't. He could literally be anywhere in the universe."

My eyes widened. That means he could be on Earth too, and with the planet's luck, I'd say there is a huge possibility that he's there. "Shouldn't you be looking for him?"

"Do you really think if we could have tracked him down, we would be here, wasting time talking to you?" Kibito asked in a harsh tone that made me flinch.

"Kibito, calm down." He hushed. "I'm afraid it is not that simple, Gohan. You see Babidi is an extremely powerful wizard, maybe even more powerful than his father, and he uses his magic to conceal his location." He clenched his petite fist. "But when he tries to resurrect Buu, his magic will be much weaker, and we will be able to track him down."

Kibito growled. "I hate being to powerless."

Shin nodded. "Indeed. But Babidi hasn't resurrected Buu yet, and it will take a few years for him to do so. I believe I can train you to be strong enough to take them down by then."

"And he really is that strong?"

"Sadly, yes." He sighed. "So what do you say about my offer, Gohan?"

I bit my lip, really wanting to say yes, but not wanting to abandon my family and friends in the process.

Shin smiled. "I know this must be a very difficult decision for you. You are so young, and you have barely lived." He aimed his hands, palms first, towards my body. A white glowing fire surrounded his frame momentarily and he uttered a soft yell before returning to his original stance.

I blinked, feeling a sudden weird feeling wash over my body. I suddenly felt heavier, and my heart was beating out of control. I frowned. I didn't have a heartbeat a few seconds earlier?

"Your death was heroic and so untimely." Shin stated. "I have granted you your life back, Gohan. But the decision of where you want to spend your life, is entirely up to you."

A melancholy feeling washed over me, because I knew what I had to do. "If I go back home, I still won't be able to live a normal human life; there will always be a villain threatening me and my people's existence, and when that happens I would want to be strong enough to protect the people I love." I stated patriotically. A shudder travelled down my spine. "I don't want to let them down ever again!"


	7. Chapter 7: Realm of the Kais

**Chapter 7: Realm of the Kais **

"Marvellous!" Supreme Kai exclaimed happily. "There is so much we have to teach you!" He clapped his hands together excitedly. We will start tomorrow; today you can get to know the realm."

"That would be nice." I said as I followed him down a graveled pathway.

"So Gohan, tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know, sir?"

He smiled. "I know you are from Earth, and that your planet is inhabited by the human race who aren't capable of maintaining too much power. So you surely cannot be human?"

"Earth is not only inhabited by humans. There are many other species too that co-existed with us."

His eyes widened. "Others, like what?"

"Well, I have encountered a ton of aliens that receded on our planet, like Namekians, demons, intelligent anthropomorphizes, androids and I have met a few hybrids too." I counted on my fingers; I think I got them all.

"Amazing," Supreme Kai said in wonder. "Did you hear that Kibito; Earth isn't the little blue peaceful planet we once thought." Kibito just grunted in response.

"Then what are _you_ young one?" Supreme Kai looked me over from top to bottom. "As far as I know can humans not exceed a certain level of strength without killing themselves in the process, so you cannot be human...?" His tone was filled with interest and awe.

"Oh I am." I said merrily, "But I am also part Saiyan." My eyes shot wider. "Oh I forgot to mention Saiyans in my list."

Supreme Kai staggered backwards and Kibito gaped at me with an angry expression. "There is a Saiyan in the sacred realm of the Kai's." He said like in agonized disbelief, as if he never expected to use those specific words together in a sentence.

"Half Saiyan." I corrected.

He ignored me and continued on with his rant. "One of the cruelest species in the universe is walking on our sacred grounds." It looked like he was going to faint. "Sir, you can't still consider training such a beast as him?"

"Oh Kibito, hush." Supreme Kai breathed agitatedly. "Gohan is a pure soul." We started walking again. "But wait, Saiyans have been extinct for almost three decades by now; that Frieza tyrant blew your planet up."

I nodded in confirmation; Vegeta did make sure that I knew that.

"Then how were you able to be born?" He asked again puzzled.

A small blush appeared on my cheeks. "Uh, the anatomy of Saiyans and humans are extremely similar, so the conception process is..."

Supreme Kai put a hand over his face. "Oh goodness no!" He exclaimed, interrupting my explanation. "I meant how were you able to be half Saiyan when there aren't any more Saiyans left to procreate with."

Oh... "That is a long story..."

Shin gestured his hand to me; urging me to continue.

"Just before planet Vegeta exploded, my dad closely escaped as an infant in a space pod heading for Earth; his mission was to destroy Earth due to purging reasons."

Supreme Kai nodded at my explanation. "Yes, that was what the Saiyans were known for; they caused a lot of problems for us as protectors." He said gesturing to himself and Kibito.

"Anyway," I continued, "when my dad arrived on earth he was found by a hermit and martial-arts boffin, the person I am named after; my grandpa Gohan. He took my dad under his wings but Dad was apparently very aggressive, at first, but one day he fell and hit his head; then he became peaceful."

"What a rare story to hear about a Saiyan." He exclaimed surprised. "So is there any other Saiyans left on earth?" He asked curiously.

I thought back. "The only Saiyans that are still alive who I know about is my dad, Vegeta, his son Trunks and of course myself. My dad and Vegeta are the only full-blooded Saiyans left that we know of."

"Amazing, the King is still alive." He murmured in awe.

"Oh no, it's not King Vegeta, it's his son." I corrected.

"The Prince?" He asked unsure.

"That's the one... And he never lets us forget it."

"You come from a very colorful background Gohan; you probably had an interesting life."

I chuckled. "I surely enjoyed it."

He smiled warmly at me. "Let me accompany you to your quarters, so you could settle in."

"Sure!" I exclaimed and followed him, smiling while he babbled on and on about our upcoming training. This was so exciting!

A sudden loud grumble echoed across the valley and caused stray birds to scatter, from their protective nests, in every direction out of fear. I froze and clutched my stomach.

_So. Hungry._

"What the devil was that?!" Shin wondered aloud. He turned around, looking at me and Kibito with a confused expression. "Did you hear that?" He asked. Kibito pointed one of his stubby fingers into my direction.

"He did it!" He snitched. Ugh, what a child.

Supreme Kai saw my hands caressing my stomach and he chuckled. I felt my face getting hot while a blush formed on my cheeks. "No need to be embarrassed son; a young warrior has to eat to keep his strength up!" He stated fatherly. "I suppose our first stop will be the kitchen then." He smiled at me.

I put my hand behind my head, and let out a chuckle; a gesture famous in the Son-household. "I was hoping you were going to say that, sir."

He led me over a narrow stoned path, and not to long after, we reached a small building, built in a square formation. This must be the kitchen, I suspected as I saw smoke streaming out of the chimney on the roof.

The walls of this building were painted light brown; a warm colour to complement its warm surroundings. The door was large, and almost reached the roof on the wall it claimed.

As I walked in, I was greeted by a magnitude of food-relating smell. I closed my eyes and smiled as I inhaled all the loving scents; my stomach grumbled even harder than before as the aromas of the sweet delicacies that was being prepared, reached its core.

I sat down at the table and waited for my meal to arrive; while we waited, Supreme Kai and I engaged in small-talk. He mostly asked about me, and my life.

After about half an hour later, a short man gracefully floated in, fully dressed in chef-clothing, complete with a chef hat as he carried a few silver plates, balancing some on his head and shoulders.

I licked my lips as he placed one of the trays in front of me. I breathed in through my nose. _Ah such a heavenly scent._ The chef lifted the silver lid and a thick cloud of meaty aromas shot directly into my face; I didn't mind.

Without further adduce, I dived in, grabbing random food with my bare hands, momentarily forgetting my tableside manners about using eating utensils.

Lobster, steak, fish, turkey... I was in love.

I devoured the food like there was no tomorrow. I could see Kibito and Supreme Kai's eyes widen in astonishment every time I asked for another helping. When I was finally finished eating, I reclined happily in my chair and stroked my round, shining belly.

Hundreds of empty plates rose like skyscrapers before me on the table.

"Finished?" Supreme Kai asked unsure as he eyed my stomach.

I nodded with a sleepy smile. "It was delicious thank you."

He laughed. "I am glad, looks like we will need a bigger kitchen with you around."

I laughed at his joke. "You have no idea…" I breathed.

"Manie," Shin called. The tiny creature came out of the kitchen with soapy foam all over his clothes and face, instantly after the call. "Will you be a dear and get more groceries before tomorrow morning?" He asked in a very polite voice. "This one is going to eat us out of this world." He said pointing at me.

"Yes sir!" He proclaimed and saluted. He shot me a death stare before turning around and heading to the dirty dishes again.

"Great!" He indirectly thanked Manie. "Well Gohan, you are going to have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so I suggest you get some rest; I will escort you to your chamber." He said as he wiped the corners of his mouth with a bleach-white napkin.

We both got up at the same time and headed out the door. We walked on a grey-stoned pathway again, but this time heading in the opposite direction.

I couldn't help but gape at my surroundings. A soft mountain breeze softly caressed my face. I closed my eyes, taking it in. I let out a gleeful sigh. I am going to be happy here...

A feeling of guilt formed in my stomach and chased the peace and tranquility hastily away. Mom and Dad must be so sad. The sudden realization hit me. I have taken so much away from them and now I won't be returning home.

Wait! I completely forgot about the Dragonballs! They are surely going to wish me back!

"Sir," I said with severity in my voice, "I am sure my family is going to wish me back with the Dragonballs on earth; you see they are magical..."

A soft smiled played on his lips. "I know what they are Gohan and you do not have to worry about that; the Dragonballs cannot reach you here." He interrupted my rant.

"I don't understand, if they wish for me to be resurrected, I will return to earth?" I was confused.

"The Dragonballs only has power to grant wishes in the four quadrants; and since you are in my realm; not located in any of the quadrants, they won't work." He explained.

"But..." I wanted to know more.

"You have nothing to worry about Gohan." Shin assured. "My powers exceed that of the wish granting Dragon. He won't dare to steal you away from me." He winked and suddenly stopped, making me walk into him. He put his hands on my shoulders. He nodded his head towards a little cabin. "This is your room; you will find everything you need inside, and if you desire anything else, don't hesitate to ask. You know where the kitchen is, breakfast is served at 7 sharp and don't be tardy." He wished me a pleasant night and walked away.

I walked on the stone path towards the door, a colorful array of flowers smiling at me as I walked. My hand curled around the round doorknob, and it made a clicking sound as I opened it. The door swung open gracefully, not creaking as it opened.

The cabin smelled like nature; a musky wood scent overwhelmed my senses as I walked through the door.

It was nicely furnished; I even had my own mini den complete with a lounge area and cozy fireplace. I walked through the corridor and examined the walls; they were decorated with old photographs of Supreme Kai, and what I presume, his previous students. The wooden floor creaked under my feet; it reminded me so much of my house back on earth.

I reached my bedroom and was glad to see that it was simple and not luxurious; I don't want my time here to be, or feel, like a vacation.

The room held a single bed with aquamarine-colored covers and matching curtains. I realized that the closet was made out of Mahogany and was filled with all the necessary clothing: casual clothing like t-shirts and jeans, pyjamas, underwear and at least ten purple gi's. I had a desk and bookcase too.

I opened my curtains and looked out of my window; I had the most breathtakingly beautiful view. The west side of the glorious mountainside was staring at me, I felt at one with nature here.

The bed looked so inviting in my tired state; I fell onto my new bed; it was so comfortable. The mattress swallowed me and I quickly fell into a deep slumber...

I jolted up suddenly as a sudden pain shot through my head. "Ow!" I clutched my throbbing head, trying to lessen the pain; I could already feel a bump forming. Who could have done this? My eyes scanned the room, but there was no other living thing in sight.

I searched for any ki's, trying to find the culprit, and located Kibito's ki near me. _Of course._ I slowly slumped to the closet where I felt his ki radiating from. I opened the closet door, and as sure as hell, he was there.

"What the hell?!" I shouted. A smug Kibito was whistling a cheerful tune, trying not to obscure his innocence, but I could clearly see a sledgehammer behind his back. His throaty chuckle filled the room. This was the first time I have ever seen his face in an expression other than anger, and of course it was brought up by torturing me.

"Why would you do that?" I asked with a whine, rubbing the sore spot on my head repeatedly.

"As you can see it is almost 7'o'clock, the time Supreme Kai told you to be ready and meet him at the kitchen, and correct me if I am wrong," he scrutinized my clothing and my wild untamed hair, "you aren't cleaned or dressed yet..."

"Do I have to be clean?" I inquired with a yawn.

Kibito scowled at me. "You would dare be in the presence of a Supreme Master without being cleansed?" He sneered. "I shouldn't have expected more from a lowlife species as yourself.

I got a look at the watch on my dresser and jumped into the shower, undressing while I sprinted to the bathroom, leaving my clothes on the floor.

I heard Kibito mutter "Saiyan" disgustedly as I left the room. I had a feeling it was going to be hard to make friends with him.

I showered in record time but as I got out to drape a towel around my waist, I noticed that my clothes were missing. I frantically searched the entire room, opening every cabinet, desperate to find something to wear.

I was feeling hopeless, until I caught a glimpse of Kibito out of the window. He was walking down the pathway, obviously on his way to the kitchen, and I had a feeling that he had something to do with my missing attires!

I grunted and decided to make a mad dash for the tall bodyguard. He will not see me if I am quick. But as soon as I reached Kibito my eyes grew big in horror as I perceived my surroundings: Supreme Kai was talking _with_another elderly man, who was now gawking in bewilderment at me.

I quickly stood up straight, but in that movement my towel managed to slip down my still dripping-wet body. I froze.

They stopped their conversation and also stared at my wet, naked body with shock. I stood petrified in front of them, completely nude. My hands flew to my privates, covering my shame. My cheeks flashed brilliant vermillion in embarrassment, _oh I wanted to die_.

I quickly bent down to pick up my towel and covered myself in record speed.

Shin frowned in disbelief. I smiled awkwardly at them and slowly backed away.

"Ah, Gohan!" Shin finally spoke, "Just the person we were talking about; I was just telling my good friend, Grand Kai," He waved a hand towards his companion, "about you."

"Nice to make your acquaintance sir, I am Gohan." I introduced myself politely.

His skin was flawless lavender and he was dressed like a biker, complete with dark sunglasses.

I was surprised when he threw a peace sign my way. "I hear great things about your power Gohan?" He smiled awkwardly at Supreme Kai. "But I must get back to Otherworld. Those fighters have a tendency to break the place down."

"I understand." Supreme Kai shook his hand. "Farewell friend, and feel free to come and visit any time."

He chuckled, shooting me a quick look. "Maybe I'll call first next time." He waved at me. "Goodbye little dude." He greeted before disappearing into thin air.

I looked down in shame when Supreme Kai approached; he is probably going to punish me for embarrassing him in front of the Grand Kai, but instead he chuckled.

"You are a different one Gohan." He said laughing. "I can probably say with accuracy that Kibito is the mischievous mastermind behind your," he hesitated, "predicament."

Kibito inhaled sharply. "I had nothing to do with this!" He defended himself. "This is just another example that Saiyans are primitive creatures without manners."

I scoffed and pointed to his hands. "That is my clothes in your hands Kibito!" I nearly shouted.

He looked down, as if remembering that he was holding on to the clothing in the firts place. "I picked them up in your room to be washed." He covered smoothly. "The gis Shin has picked out for you, is in the bathroom cupboard."

I gaze fell to the ground as I muttered: "Oh."

Shin chuckled musically. "Never a dull moment!" He clapped his hands together. "Well then, I will leave you to get dried and dressed and your breakfast is in the oven. Flare your ki when you are done, and we can start with our training." I let out a breath of relief; thank goodness he understood!

When I retreated out the back door, Kibito was there, waiting for me with a wild smile on his lips.

My eyes shot wide. "You did have something to do with this!" I accused.

"Good luck proving it." He muttered smugly in his deep growling voice.

"I am going to kill you." I whispered menacingly.

He just continued to smirk. "This is going to be fun..."

After breakfast Supreme Kai lead me to where we were going to train, but I had a few questions on my mind. "Sir, about Buu..." I started.

"Yes?" He asked in a pleasant voice.

"A few years is an awfully short time to prepare for such a battle." I said. "My dad always started training years before the actual fight occurred, and it was rarely enough time."

"Yes that may be so, but you are an extraordinary fighter Gohan, we will have more than enough time to prepare. I wouldn't be burdening you with this if I didn't know you could do it." He said in a motivational tone.

It was silent between us for a while but then he spoke again. "Tell me about your transformations; I have noticed that you, and several of your friends on Earth, have forms where your power increases wildly more than in your original state, and your hair turns from ebony to gold. Is this maybe the legendary transformation from Saiyan folktales?"

"You know about the Saiyan heritage?" I asked in awe.

"Of course." He stated and smiled and gestured a hand for me to answer his question.

"Yes." I answered. "It is called the 'Legendary Super Saiyan'" I stated dramatically. "I was friends, uh well kind of friends, with the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta; he always made sure everybody knew about the fact that he, as elite Saiyan warrior, was the Legendary Saiyan." I chuckled. "But ironically my dad, a low class warrior, was the first to unlock the secrets of this transformation, he soon followed of course, but his ego got a gigantic hit, I'm not sure he ever recovered from that, but nevertheless, he stayed arrogant. We later learned that there was an advanced form of a super Saiyan, super Saiyan two if you will." I smiled. "I was the first to unlock this state, in my battle with Cell." I grimaced at the thought of that horrible event. "Vegeta's ego got an even bigger hit; a nine year old overpowered him! But when I transformed into Super Saiyan 2, I could almost swear I felt a hidden deepness to the power, as if there were a stronger power located just underneath that I just unleashed; Super Saiyan three..." My voice trailed off.

"I see." He said in thought. "If there is another level of your Super Saiyan transformation, we _will_ unlock it in our training."

He led me to a wide open field. Mountains surrounded this serene opening, making it the ideal training spot. We walked down a set of narrow stairs and he instructed me to stand in the middle of the open field, while he stayed behind at the back.

"Power up to your absolute maximum." He ordered from across the field.

I loosened my neck and stretched my arms and legs; just like Dad always did before a fight or spar. I took a deep breath and powered up. A bright white fire-like aura surrounded my body as I unleashed my power; I reached the max of my base form and tapped into the first transformation of Super Saiyan, my scream ran through the field.

A crater started to form underneath me and I sank lower into the ground on it. The limit in this form was reached and I concentrated, trying to locate the place within me, the second Super Saiyan transformation was hidden, I found it and uttered an ear-splitting scream as I released it. My power emitted a strong wind, shattering the mountains and causing the ground to quake apart.

Supreme Kai stood firm, the strong wind not affecting him at all. "Dig deeper Gohan!" He yelled. "I can sense a deep power just underneath your current transformation!"

I pushed harder, trying to squeeze every fragment of my power out. My scream grew more agonized as I tried to outer something I couldn't reach. "I can't reach that power!" I panted.

"You can do it, concentrate! Clear your mind. The power comes in respond to a need, not a desire." He said wisely. "You need this power to protect your loved ones, Gohan, not to be the strongest; think about your family and friends, facing a threat stronger than Cell, but you are limited to the power of your second super Saiyan form, you must be stronger, or else you will fail, resulting in the death of all your loved ones!"

I painted a picture of his words in my mind. I could see how I stand helpless at the sidelines while my friends and family get beaten to a pulp. No. I will not fail, I will thrive! I searched for the power.

"No!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and emitted a huge power I didn't think was possible, I felt my hair growing rapidly till the end of my back, my muscles grew bigger and a humongous power shot through my bones, but I couldn't hold it. I tried to grab it back, but it was like an elastic band: the power shot back all at once from where they came from. I fell to the ground on all fours, panting like a dog. And then I collapsed; exhausted...

I lay on the ground, gasping for air; it hurt when I breathed. I ran a hand across my upper torso and flinched as a sudden pain shot through my body; I had some broken ribs.

"Here, drink this, it's a healing potion." A soothing voice told me and gave me a bottle holding a blue-ish liquid. I downed the vile in one gulp.

"Hmmm, fruity." I exclaimed surprised, I thought it was going to taste excruciatingly bad, like all medicine with healing abilities had, even the bitter sensu bean. "Thank you." I thanked him and dusted my gi off with my hands while I got up.

"Wow, talk about a bone crushing power." Supreme Kai exclaimed as he help me to my feet.

"Yeah, I am so sorry sir, I couldn't hold it, I had it, and I felt it! But I just couldn't hold on to it." I apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? There is no need for that! It seems that your body and mind is not mature enough to access such a power yet. I suggest that we build up the power in your base form first." He turned around, deep in thought. "Follow me."

We walked back up the stairs and past the kitchen; I have never been here before, I realised as I noticed my new surroundings. This area was thicker with vegetation; it was like a jungle, complete with animals, or what I assumed was animals, scurrying away from us and swinging from tree to tree.

We halted when we reached a medium-sized wooden shed. The old door opened with a high-pitched squeak; a shiver ran down my spine as the sound reached my ears. Supreme Kai disappeared into it. I heard the clinging of metal and rattling of chains before he came out holding four small red bands in his hands.

"Put them on." He instructed.

I put the two smaller bands around my wrists and the two larger ones around my ankles. I twisted them around to make them sit comfortably. I punched the air a few times, but I felt no difference. Hmm, I thought this was going to be some sort of weighted bands or something.

"Okay, what's so special about these sweatbands?" I asked, examining the bands from every angle.

"Hmmmm, what do you think Kibito, should we start him off easy?" Supreme Kai asked when Kibito joined us after a while. It was the first time I saw Supreme Kai with a devious smile on his lips.

Kibito mimicked the smile. "No sir, he will get spoilt! He is a tough kid, let's see him in action."

I raised an eyebrow at their mysterious conversation. "What are you guys talking...?" I started.

"50 tons." Supreme Kai interrupted me and I fell to the ground.

I tried to stand up again but failed miserably. I could barely lift my arms and legs! "Are these weighted wristbands?" I asked as gravity pushed me down with incredible force.

"Aren't you a smart one?" Kibito exclaimed sarcastically.

Supreme Kai spoke up. "You are not allowed to remove these bands under any circumstance, not that you can; but nevertheless. You are also prohibited from transforming into one of your Super Saiyan forms; the bands restrict your ki too, which means that you will remain in your base form at all times, unless instructed otherwise by me. Our training will continue when you have circled the Realm at least once." He looked at me, seeing my confused expression. "Any questions?"

"Sir, you want me to walk around the _whole _Realm with these weights on?" I asked in disbelief, it seemed a too easy task to what I was expecting. Just walking around with weights on wasn't my idea of training. He didn't say anything; his expression spoke for itself.

"Don't be so negative!" He reprimanded me sternly. "I am sure this task will be challenging enough for you, dear boy." He tousled my hair. "Training is over for today, you may continue with anything else you want to."

"Does this mean I can take the bands off?" I tried, with a sheepish smile spread across my face, like Dad taught me to do when trying get out of tough situations.

Supreme Kai gave me a stern look and snapped his fingers. The once beautiful and luscious surroundings turned into a dry wasteland. "Come on Kibito, let's get lunch ready." They walked off into the horizon together.

"Wait you cannot leave me here!" I yelled after them. My stomach growled right on time to protest. "I will starve to death!" My cry turned more desperate.

"Don't be silly, Saiyan, lunch will be served in an hour; you just have to get there!" Kibito mocked and laughed.

I grunted as I watched them walking away in the direction of the kitchen, I sniffed sorrowfully, _where the food is_, not looking back even once. I sighed and tried to stand up. But I was not strong enough to lift my, now, heavy body.

I tried to stand up a magnitude of times, but that just resulted in me kissing the dirt passionately every single time.

This is hopeless! If only I could go super!

I powered up to the max of my base form, remembering Supreme Kai's demand, and tried once again to stand. I lifted my butt into the air effortlessly; thank goodness he didn't give me weighted underwear! My eyes widened at the sheer idea. I really shouldn't let Kibito hear that; he will make sure to supply me with a pair!

I shifted all my weight to my legs and tried to push my upper torso up. I fell down a few times, but that didn't bring me down. I just got back in position and tried again.

It took me nearly an hour to stand on my two feet, but miraculously I managed to defy gravity. Okay, now I just have to find a way to walk. I stared at my right foot, encouraging it to move. I summoned some energy and moved my right foot about an inch forward, soon followed by my left foot; I continued this action for a few meters. This was harder than I thought it would be...

Sweat was dripping off my forehead after just a few minutes and I hunched my shoulders out of exhaustion for just a second.

_Big mistake._

I fell to the ground with a magnificent speed and came crashing down, leaving a gigantic crater behind.

"Great, just great!" I yelled out in frustration. Now I have to climb up this thing too.

I have never felt so frustrated in my life; but I refuse to give up. I raked my brain for ideas on how to effectively get back up, using the minimum energy. All my physic lessons flashed through my head, but no effective way came to mind.

I sighed and began to leopard crawl out of the ditch. My arms screamed in pain with every pull, but I ignored them. In half an hour I was out of the ditch and continued struggling like this, keeping my mission to circle the Realm in mind.

My body was now screaming at me to stop, but I knew that if I stopped I wouldn't continue. I forced myself to proceed. Buckets of sweat poured out of my body, I became dizzy; I haven't eaten or drank a thing in a day; but nevertheless I went on. I started counting to drift my mind's attention away from the exhaustion and pain.

After three days Kibito showed up out of nowhere, informing me that I was precisely halfway now. I was so happy to see another living being, even if it was Kibito; my dry lips cracked a smile at his sight. I crawled to his feet.

"W...water." I choked out while resting my head in his shadow, burying my head in the sand.

The excruciating sun was frying my skin; I just need a dash of salt and pepper and would be ready to eat! I thought bitterly.

"Dehydrating..." I coughed out and looked up at him with pleading eyes, pointing animatedly to my mouth.

He just smiled and zapped away quickly.

"No!" I whimpered frustrated. I sank my head defeated into the hot sand. I am so tired.

My body couldn't take it anymore. I froze and my eyes fell shut almost instantly, but I forced them open. Then I saw it.

Are my eyes deceiving me?! A puddle! I advanced to it as fast as my worn-out little limbs could carry me, which quite frankly was as fast as master Roshi's turtle after a few shots of tequila; but surely, I reached the only source of water I have seen in two days and feasted in the beauty that was water.

I decided to rest here for the night; I won't be able to move through the night, not again. I fell into a deep slumber immediately.

The bright sunlight woke me in the morning. I let out an annoyed cry; I don't want to get up yet, but it was impossible to ignore the bright light streaming in through my eyelids. Stupid son is mocking me! It thinks that it is so high and mighty there up in the sky. Its rays are screaming happiness, as if they are exclaiming: "All it right with the world." I scoffed angrily. "Stop mocking me!" I yelled aimlessly at the bright burning ball of cruelty. I slurped up a few more helpings of water and crawled onwards. I realised that I could move easier; I could almost swear that I am moving at my normal pace now.

My clothes were wasting away by now; it was barely still there and the sun burned my exposed flesh. I stopped and rested my head on the sand for just a few seconds, the sand felt like a pillow under my throbbing head. I begrudgingly started to crawl again; the sooner I get started, the sooner I will finish, I chanted over and over to myself for motivation. I lifted my head, looking into the horizon to see if I could get a sign that I was nearing my destination. My eyes rested on a marvellous beauty...

An oases!

My tongue ran over my lips as I saw fruits and a waterfall calling my name. I slowly neared my salvation, but to my dismay, it was a fluke; a mirage. I let out a frustrated cry and headed north again. I crawled for a few more hours and after a while I could not feel my arms anymore; they were now just like robotic parts, barely following commands. My muscles quavered out of fatigue.

But finally, I snapped; I haven't eaten or drunken anything in three days dammit! I was so frustrated and angry; adrenaline started to flow through my veins rapidly. I stood upright in one swift movement and walked with the weights. I was starting to get used to this, I realised happily.

My steps were fuelled by rage and I could actually walk at my normal pace now, and after just a few miles I willed myself to run. I summoned all my remaining energy and willpower and sprinted in what I thought the direction of Supreme Kai's house was. It took me no more than an hour to reach a Victorian style house with a marvellous garden between two mountains. It contrasted drastically with the horrible barren landscape. This must be it. Thank goodness.

After about another hundred miles I reached a crater. Hmmm this crater looks very familiar... "YESSSSSSS!" I yelled as I realised that it was the same crater I created when I fell a few days earlier; my drag marks were still imprinted on the slope.

"I'm here!" I yelled with my last remaining breath before collapsing.

I awoke in my bedroom. I smiled as my comfortable mattress formed perfectly around my sore body. There was not an inch on my body that didn't hurt. I sat upright; hmmm, feels like the bands are heavier than before, oh it's probably just the pain talking.

I got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. The shower made me feel calm. The water fell like satin on my skin as I analyzed every tiny aspect of my life.

I got dressed and headed to the kitchen. I was welcomed with the heavenly scent of pancakes and bacon. I engulfed everything on my plate and more. After I had finished my meal, I waited for Supreme Kai at the training grounds. I didn't wait long. He arrived instantly.

"Gohan I am so proud of you!" He exclaimed happily. "No one has ever circled the Realm at such a fast pace. Congratulations." He looked me over. "Ah, and I see you have adjusted to the additional 5 ton also, good job."

"You did make my bands heavier." I accused.

"Indeed, I will add 5 ton on each band, every day. You get used to the extra weight very quickly, so I presume that it is not going to be a problem."

"So what are we going to do today?" I asked, changing the subject.

He smiled. "Today we are going to train your mind." He stated and threw a lot of books in my arms. "I think your muscles have earned a well-deserved rest."

"You mean like school?" I asked confused after I got a good look at the books; I saw algebra, literature and science scribbled on the covers.

"Exactly like school my dear boy. You didn't think we were just going to concentrate on strength and power, did you?" I shook my head. "Good guess." He smiled. "We must keep the brain sharp too, son." He explained. "Strategy is very important in battle. If you know the laws of physics and mathematics you can implement the knowledge in your battles and outwit a warrior even more powerful than yourself." He looked at me. "You have to find the perfect balance between brawn and brains; then you will be unbeatable. And I think it's a shame that you know so few about your Saiyan heritage." He smiled. "We are going to change that."

I studied for the entire day; it almost felt like it did back at home, with mother's stern eyes watching my every move. I was exhausted by lunchtime. After a long day, and yet another 5 ton added, I relaxed in front of the fireplace. The sound of the crackling fire was like a lullaby and I drifted off into a deep sleep with a smile on my face...


	8. Chapter 8: The Zsword

**Chapter 8: The Z-sword**

Time went by fast.

We have trained altogether for two years by now. My power grew rapidly over the months and my body could bear 20 000 tons by now. I am sure that I would be able to sustain the third Super Saiyan transformation perfectly by now; I can't wait to get these bands off!

Supreme Kai made me lap around the entire planet three times with 500 tons on each limb. I completed the laps in record time. "Good job Gohan." He praised. "You broke the previous record!"

I bowed. "Thank you, thank you." I waved at an invisible crowd. "Autographs are available with yours truly after my current training session."

Supreme Kai smiled. "So what do you say about taking these ghastly things off for good?" He asked pointing at the bands.

I shrugged "It doesn't really matter to me; I am used to it either way." I said coolly, not wanting to seem over-eager. I just want these damn things off!

He clapped his hands together. "On to new horizons then; Kibito will you do the honors?"

"Me?" Kibito asked puzzled pointing at himself. Supreme Kai playfully looked around. "I sadly don't see another Kibito here, so you will have to do it."

He grunted, not seeming in the mood to help me out.

He managed to wiggle the first band off, but flew into the dirt with the band as a result. A massive crater formed under his small body. He rose slowly. "How much to you have on?" He yelled.

"Just 500 tons, each," I shrugged, "no biggie."

His mouth fell agape and laughed nervously. "I think you can handle the rest big boy." He said while patting my back.

I laughed. "Don't mind if I do." I mocked and removed the bands in three swift movements. It felt like I weighed nothing.

"Run around the planet." Supreme Kai instructed when I returned to him. I did as he asked and sped around the whole planet in three seconds.

"Wow!" I exclaimed in awe. "This is amazing!"

"I told you that I would pay off." He stated wisely. "Let's see if you can hold the third transformation of Super Saiyan now."

Don't mind if I do! I transformed directly into my Super Saiyan 2 state; skipping the first transformation entirely. I took a deep breath and tapped into the vastness of the third state of the Super Saiyan transformation; and miraculously enough, I released it without error and held it without any struggle. My hair grew rapidly to the end of my back again. I stopped yelling and stood still, admiring the power of my new transformation. My muscles were more defined and large in this state and a lightning more intense than that of my second transformation surrounded my body.

I felt the power running through my arms as I made a fist. "This is amazing!" I said slowly, taking in the awesomeness.

Supreme Kai moved towards me; but I wanted to test my new speed. I sped around the planet five times and smiled to myself. He didn't even notice that I had moved. This is radical!

"I am glad you can hold this power." He said, interrupting my admiration. "But you can only use this form under extreme circumstances." He ordered sternly.

I frowned questioningly. "B...but, why?" I whined.

"Look at your surroundings." He instructed. The once luscious green valley was a barren wasteland now.

I cringed. "Oh..." He tapped his foot on the ground once and it turned back to normal.

"I know it is hard for you to control your emotions, being a Saiyan hybrid. All your human emotions are heightened because of your mixed Saiyan DNA, and it _is_ harder to control, but you have to teach yourself to focus on all the positive emotions like hope and love instead of all the bad ones like guilt and hate. Then you won't transform so aggressively. It might take some time to master completely, but you _will_get control over your feelings. I know you can."

I nodded. "I will try harder next time."

"I know that you will." He smiled. "Today I want to teach you instantaneous tele-transportation."

My eyes lit up. "Instant Transmission?" I asked unsure.

"You know the Yardrats' technique?" He asked, impressed.

"I am familiar with it; my dad knows it."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Impressive, but my technique is far more advanced than their primitive version."

"So how do I do it?"

"Concentrate your energy and imagine that you are someplace else." Shin's voice rang clearly through my mind. "Transport yourself to the kitchen." I nodded, but still didn't quite understand how to do it. I visualized the kitchen, but I still couldn't manage to move myself to it.

"Sir…" I breathed. "Can you maybe take me through the steps just one more time?" I asked politely.

He nodded. "Close your eyes and redirect your energy to the kitchen. It is almost like fazing; running very quickly. Your whole body will disintegrate for a split second before assembling together again at your chosen location." He continued.

"But sir…" I interjected. "My father's technique was used by focusing on an energy near the place you wanted to travel to and you used that as your compass. Wouldn't it be easier to do it _that_ way?" I suggested.

He nodded. "Most definitely, but do you sense any energy's near the kitchen?"

"No…" I retorted, knowing that everybody who resides on this planet were here with me.

"Exactly, you see, your father's technique may be easier but it is horribly flawed. Let's say you want to travel to a planet that is uninhabited, how will you get there?" He asked. I thought for a bit but couldn't find any logical solution. I shrugged. "Precisely, with instant transmission you won't be able to travel to such locations. But with instantaneous movement, all you need is a mental picture or coordinates and you are set." I nodded, agreeing with my sensei. "And an added bonus of instantaneous movement is that you can not only transport yourself, but also teleport other people or objects to different locations without accompanying them."

"Cool that will save a lot on travel expenses." I joked. "I wish I knew this in my childhood; I could have zapped Mother away when I wanted some quiet time."

He chuckled at my little joke. "Indeed, now, try it again." He urged. Okay, imagine myself in millions of bits and pieces, that's easy! Just pretend that Mom found you rummaging in her special drawer, _again_. Gosh that was a bad day… _Gohan focus_! I scolded my wandering mind.

I concentrated a great deal and I actually moved! I opened my eyes and saw that I was about two feet away from my original spot. I sighed but Shin applauded.

"Progress!" He exclaimed. "Okay son, let's get you a feel of it first." He put his arm around my shoulder and transported us to the kitchen. He looked down at me. "Did you feel it?" He asked.

I nodded. "I think so; it is a kind of pins and needles feeling mixed with the sensation one gets when going down in an elevator."

He gave me a thumbs-up. "Interesting observation; but yes. Try to mimic that."

He teleported us back to the training field. "Okay, try it again." I loosened my shoulders and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and thought back at the specific feeling I felt when transported. I visualised running to the kitchen and miraculously enough I felt the feeling again. And then I was falling.

I yelped as I fell down and bounced off the roof of the kitchen and landed with my butt in the air in front of Supreme Kai and Kibito.

Kibito shivered. "That is a sight I could have lived the rest of my life without seeing."

I pouted at him as I got up and brushed my gi off. "I got to the kitchen!" I exclaimed happily, ignoring Kibito.

Shin nodded with a smile planted on his features. "Indeed, we just have to work on you aim." I laughed.

"Now let's try the other technique. Why don't you send Kibito somewhere?"

I smiled devilishly. "Okay."

Kibito waved his hands dramatically in front of his body. "I don't like being the kid's guinea pig. Last time I ended up without eyebrows." He reminded.

I chuckled. "That was a fun day!"

Shin turned to his bodyguard. "Light up Kibito. Gohan can't possible damage you in any way with this technique. I just want him to get the feel of it."

Kibito rolled his eyes. "Very well, sir."

"Good, now use your energy to send him somewhere in particular, Gohan. It is very similar to the technique you just used to get here. And don't worry you can't miss." He laughed. "You're concentrating on a specific ki; there is no chance that it will not arrive at your chosen destination." I felt comforted and used the same technique as earlier. It worked; Kibito disappeared, probably on his way to Grand Kai's planet.

He returned again after about half a minute. "At least my eyebrows are still intact." He said as we stared at him, waiting for a comment.

Shin chuckled. "You see, it wasn't that bad." He turned to me and smiled, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Gohan, I think you are ready."

"Ready for what, sir?"

"I trust it is time we tried to advance you beyond to a level much higher than your current one." He smiled excitedly down at me.

My eyes widened, understanding that he must have some kind of specific and complicated training in mind. "What is it you want me to try, sir?" I asked eagerly; ready to face any new challenge facing me in my way.

"You are going to have a crack on something that has never been accomplished before in history!" Shin continued mysteriously and continued to smile confidently down at me.

I returned the gesture and nodded enthusiastically, "Sure, let's go for it! I am always up for a new challenge!" I will not pass the chance to appear in history books!

"I admire your enthusiasm!" He exclaimed gleefully. "Grab hold." He instructed and extended his right arm out to me.

He transported us to a place where I have never been before. I let go of his arm and looked at my surroundings with an open mouth. A great cliff rose from a quartz-like pond like a majestic highline.

"Marvellous, isn't it?" Shin's voice broke through my admiration. I nodded, still flabbergasted by the picturesque sight in front of me.

"What is this place?" I blurted out.

He chuckled. "We are still in the Realm of the Kai's, Gohan. Follow me."

We floated to the top of the grand pedestal. I could see only the hilt of a sword peek out from the center of the stand.

Supreme Kai extended his hand toward the sword and slid his hand across the hilt. "It is said that this weapon has the ability to slice through time and space, if only the wielder was pure, true and strong enough to master it. It is called the Z-sword, the weapon of unlimited strength. The sword draws on its master's deepest hidden powers. The two become one weapon, capable of cutting down even the mightiest of foes. It is the most powerful sword in the whole universe..."

"Wow…" I stepped over to the sword and looked at it in awe. It was fair with a detailed hilt, carvings of distinguished warriors were engraved on the surface and the portion of the blade that was visible above the pedestal reflected a rainbow smile of glorious colours off the surface, some colours I didn't even have a name for.

"I want you to try to remove the sword from its resting place Gohan." I nodded realizing what I was supposed to do. "Be warned, none of the other Supreme Guardians have ever come close to budging this mighty weapon. It is thought that its density is so great that it has the weight of at least one hundred ton per ounce. For a weapon of _that_ size, its total weight must amount to thousands of tons."

I nodded, "So… this is _not_ going to be as easy as I thought…"

Shin nodded in confirmation, "Not easy would be an understatement! Only Grand Kai has ever managed to make the sword even creak in place. But I believe now that if anyone has the ability to remove the sword from its pedestal that it's you Gohan."

Kibito growled. "Shin, he is not a Kai. Why don't we host a competition between all the riffraff in the universe to see who could extract it first?" He spat. "He has no right to accomplish what was meant for the Kai's."

"You had your turn Kibito, now let's give Gohan a chance to have his." He crossed his fingers. "Though he lacks the experience and strategic sense of many of the other guardians, I know that his incredible strength and energy might just be enough to dislodge the ancient weapon."

I gulped not wanting to let him down and wanting to prove the negative Kibito wrong. Kibito gave a scoff, his expression was screaming: '_Not in a million years_.' I ignored his hostile vibe and continued to the sword.

"If a Supreme Kai couldn't release it, what makes you think that a simple mortal like _you_ could achieve it?" Kibito directed to me.

I ignored his discouraging statement again. "Ok, let me get a feel for it first..." I stood on top of the pedestal and gripped onto the hilt with both hands. I hadn't started pulling yet; I just opened and closed my fists around the grip for a moment. The hilt was like velvet under my skin and I could feel a tremendous power being emitted underneath my weight. I felt dizzy at the intensity of the power. I stretched to prepare myself for the task; I didn't want to pull a muscle in the process!

"You won't be able to free this weapon, child!" Kibito interrupted my process.

"Kibito!" Supreme Kai scolded him.

"No! This weapon is destined to be released by a Kai!" He looked at me with disgust. I flinched as I saw the venom in his glare. "Not a savage Saiyan child." He made the words sound like a curse.

"Kibito, give Gohan a chance too." He ordered his bodyguard. "We all have had our chance; now let's see if our young warrior here can manage something that has been rendered impossible to all the Supreme Kai's." Kibito grunted miserably. "Good." Shin looked at me and smiled warmly. "You may proceed Gohan, the stage is yours." I gulped nervously, clenching and unclenching my fingers around the hilt of the weapon.

"What are you waiting for child?" Kibito sneered impatiently.

"I was just wondering what happens when a person actually manages to pull this thing out..."

Kibito grunted. "The sword draws on its master's deepest hidden powers. The two become one weapon, capable of cutting down even the mightiest of foes." He answered.

I whistled. "Oh wow."

"If you're ready, give it a try." Shin interrupted my reverie.

I took a deep breath and squatted down with my hands clutched firmly around the sword. "Here goes nothing..." I gave the sword a strong tug, but like I anticipated, it didn't budge. I grunted with effort, but I was getting nowhere. I clenched my teeth and my face flashed hot like lava at my second try. My hands were slipping from the hilt and before I knew it, I fell backwards on my forehead!

The whole pedestal quaked when my head landed hard on the ground. "Ouch!" I yelled and clutched my now throbbing head. "You guys sure weren't kidding about this thing." I blew on my hands, trying to cool them down.

Kibito snickered. "Told you." He muttered happily and began retreating off the cliff.

Shin shot Kibito an angry look. "I think you should try again, Gohan." Shin said in a calm voice.

I nodded and glared smugly at Kibito. "You haven't seen anything yet."

"Don't be a sore loser boy."

I didn't reply to his negativity. I clenched and unclenched my sore hands; trying to lessen the pain.

I took a few steps back, loosened my shoulders and took a deep breath yet again. I gave a warning look at my little audience of three, telling them to get out of the way.

They took shelter a few hundred metres away from the tall cliff; understanding that I was about to unleash my power. "Here we go." I said to myself and let out a deep breath to calm myself.

I started powering up, my hair flashed a brilliant gold and spiked straight down my back; I instantly transformed into my third transformation. I could feel Supreme Kai and Kibito's eyes boring into my back as I powered up all the way to my maximum. I gripped the sword once again firmly with both my hands.

Tremors were sent through the landscape as all my power was uttered. I planted my feet firmly on the rocky bottom of the pedestal for support. I yelled as I started pulling on the sword as hard as I could.

For the first few seconds there was nothing. I heard Shin whisper, "Maybe I was expecting too much from him too soon," from across the sky with my acute hearing. His statement motivated me. I _am_ ready! I _will_ prove them all wrong!

The ground began shaking. My yell intensified as I reached deep within myself for even more energy. My golden aura flared viciously as I attempted to boost my power as high as I could. My feet cracked through the ground of the pedestal.

The entire planet was shaking violently now, "My goodness, this has never happened before…" Supreme Kai exclaimed a little frightened as he jumped into Kibito's arms.

My ki flared wildly, my cry became deafening, my muscles strained further, and I heaved with everything I had. The pedestal shattered and crumbled to the ground; I skyrocketed upward with such force that the planet split into two.

"My planet!" Supreme Kai exclaimed loudly in despair as he saw his home crumbling underneath him.

I panted and halted mid-air with the sword safely in my grasp. I smiled proudly at myself and let out a deep shaky breath. "I did it!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "I actually did it!" My smile grew more intense. "Sir!" I called my mentor. I looked down to search for him. All I could see is the debris; all that was left over of the once majestic valley was dust. My eyes widened in horror, what if...

"Good heavens!" I heard a familiar voice call out. He looked at the shattered podium and saw that there was no longer a sword mounted in its grasp. I smiled as the two of them rose out of the rubble and floated down to where they were standing. Once I landed, I had to exert quite a bit of effort to make sure the sword didn't burry itself in the ground, then I would have to unearth it again, literally!

Shin's eyes were glued to the sword in my hands. "Gohan, you achieved the impossible! You unearthed the Z-sword!" His smile and voice was filled with pride.

Kibito floated up to us, "Yeah… and he destroyed our planet in the process…" He said as he looked down at the rubble.

Supreme Kai just laughed. "Such a trivial thing dear Kibito... Don't you realise what Gohan has done?" He asked energetically and aimed his hand down to the planet. His ki flared and after a few seconds the planet was restored to its original glory. "He achieved something greater than his peers will ever dream of achieving!" Supreme Kai exclaimed in awe, but Kibito scoffed.

"Not impressed, I could have done that too!"

Shin's musical laugh filled the sky. "Of course you could have."

Shin hadn't been kidding, this sword was really heavy! It was taking nearly all of my concentration just to stay floating in the sky with this thing. The sword was also huge, at least as long as I was tall.

"Well Kibito, it seems like you have underestimated our young friend." Supreme Kai mocked him. He turned to me. "So how does it feel Gohan? How does it feel to hold the legendary Z-sword?" He asked, eagerly awaiting my response.

"Heavy!" I exclaimed with a smile. I tried to swing the weapon and almost fell in the process. "You know what, I think I have figured out how I can defeat Majin Buu with this thing."

Shin's eyes widened. "Is that so?" He stammered.

"It's so heavy, if I could just get him to hold it, he won't be able to move his arms."

Kibito's eyes lit up furiously. "How dare you make jokes? Don't you have any respect for the power that is in your grasp?" He spat with fury. "This sword is the ultimate weapon and you removed it," his voice turned bitter, "now you must master it, you must work harder than you have ever before, because if you continue trembling the way you are now, the battle with Majin Buu will be over before it has really begun!"

Wow, chill dude. I got a smug smile on my face. Shin looked at me questioningly. "Well Kibito, maybe you would like to give it a try." I extended the heavy sword to him. "To you, this should be no problem."

His nose was turned up. "Of course." He curled both his hands around the hilt.

"Ready?" I asked him.

He nodded and I let it go, leaving the entire weight to him. His eyes widened and he started falling face first to the ground. Just before he could fall he let go of the mighty sword and it sank deep into the ground while dust gathered around it while he fell flat on his bum next to it.

Great now I have to dig it out...

"Ugh, how embarrassing," Supreme Kai said under his breath.

The smug smile returned to my face. "You see? Like I said, it is heavy." He scowled at me, stood up and walked towards the sword again. He squatted down next to the sword and tried pulling it up again. I couldn't keep my composure anymore. I fell to the ground, laughing like a monkey and clutching my stomach in pain when I saw his poor attempt and facial expression.

He looked at his hands; they were glowing bright red. He blew frantically on them, desperate to cool them down. He stared at my laughing figure at the corner of his eyes and stood up and placed his arms behind his back.

"Well, it is not that heavy." He retorted with a slight blush.

I laughed even harder; tears were forming in the corners of my eyes by now and I hit my fists on the ground in humour. "You... couldn't... e ...even lift it!" I managed to blurt out through the fits of laughter.

He spun around angrily; his face boiling red in anger and humiliation. "Well, I am not the one who has to use it, you are! So you had better get started." He panted heavily after his rant. I swallowed the rest of my laughs and got up. I nodded. I picked the sword up after a little effort.

My face contorted under the strain, "It's really heavy… grrr…"

Supreme Kai laughed at my expression. "Imagine the benefits of mastering such a weapon!" He said out of the blue. "It is probably even more intense than training with weighted clothing."

"Yeah I bet! I'm going to have to take it a little slow with this thing though… I mean… just lifting it out of that pedestal today completely drained me…" My breathing was getting more strained and my arms were starting to tremble under the incredible weight of the sword. I can't hold it for much longer.

"Allow me to create a scabbard for you to keep the sword in!" Supreme Kai suggested and waved his hands, materializing a large metal scabbard. I let the sword fall on the sheath with a loud clang. The ground shook as the sword was dropped.

I fell backward, my super Saiyan state leaving my exhausted body, "Oh man! That thing is just… unbelievable!" I exclaimed in awe. "I cannot wait to start training with it!" I breathed heavily as I stretched; trying to recover from the exertion.

I actually had a hard time resting that night, as my body ached from the incredible strain needed to move such a massive weapon. As I lied down staring at the stars a smile spread across my face. I was determined not just use that sword, but to master it. The thought of how strong I could become while mastering it only excited me further.

When I awoke after a well-deserved rest the next morning, I immediately returned to the sheath where I had left the sword. My first futile attempts still heavily engraved in my memory as I grasped the handle of my sword; I took a few deep breaths before clenching my fists around the hilt and powering up.

Feeling ready, I knelt down and tried lifting the sword. It took considerable effort just to lift the massive weapon, but I found that it was easier than my first time. I clenched my teeth tight as I lifted up into the sky still holding the mighty blade. Even at full power I was struggling to keep the weapon firmly in my hands but my determination and desire to get stronger never wavered and pushed me not to give in.

Holding in my breath I lifted the blade above my head and started to swing it from side to side. The sword sliced gracefully through the air.

I found myself being dragged through the sky by the swords' mass, but I forced my hands not to let go. I let out a panicked yelp and flared my ki in an attempt to gather enough power to stop the weapon's momentum. My eyes widened as I saw the sword was going to drag me through my cabin before I could do anything to stop it.

The thing has a mind of its own!

I pushed with all my might and miraculously changed its course. Oh uh, my eyes widened as I saw what its new target was.

I let out a screech when the sword struck a mountain's side, leaving me stuck between rocks while the sword, still full of life, carried on like a machine; it cut completely through the mountain, making one half tumble to the ground, with the sword underneath it. How glad I was that I wasn't still holding it! The impact was forceful enough to make the entire planet shake. "Oops... I hope Shin didn't hear that." I hoped out loud. But before I could say 'damage control' he was there.

His eyes widened and his mouth fell agape. "What did you do to my mountain?" He yelled up at me angrily.

"I am fine, thank you for asking!" I yelled back.

I could see a frown resting on his face. "Don't sass me boy!"

I cringed. "Sorry sir, but it is harder to control this sword than I first thought."

His eyes turned understanding. "Oh, carry on then." He replied coolly and wandered off again. Really, just like that? I should create chaos more often.

I turned my attention back to the vegetation and rubble the sword nested itself. I muttered a curse under my breath. How on earth am I going to find it now? I let out an exasperated sigh and floated down to the rubble of the once ravishing mountain. I dug through the giant boulders the whole afternoon, the sun was starting to sink dangerously low into the horizon, and I haven't had a single thing to eat after breakfast. "I can't take this anymore!" I yelled frustrated and powered up to Super Saiyan 3. All the rubble, including the massive rocks, was blown away by my ki. I kept a sharp eye out for the Z-sword, hoping that when the rubble is cleared it will peek out.

As sure as hell; there it lay, embedded in the vegetation. I let out a relieved cry, happy that I finally found it. Why didn't I think about this earlier? Stupid brain! I walked over to the sword. I sighed as I released enough energy to pick it up once again. This time I made sure that I was leading it, not the other way around!

These antics continued for days as I would swing the sword upwards and fall completely backward from the force of the moving object. I spent only a short period of time, each day actually training with the sword and the rest of the day trying to dig it out of wherever I dropped it! This is such a frustrating process!

The next morning, I was up and about before the sun rose from its slumber. Ideas were running mad through my mind, remembering proper techniques of balancing the weapon; how to hold it, proper postures etc. I have studied in the books Shin brought me. My golden aura flashed violently around me as I powered up to my third transformation. I reached down and began lifting the weapon. Once in my death-grip I assumed a lowered posture with the sword slightly extended, most of the weight shifting from my shoulders to my torso. I looked down at the weapon and prepared myself for the motions.

I took a deep breath and started to swing the weapon out around my body, making an appropriate slice through the air and stopping the sword promptly where I told it to stop. "Ha!" I smiled happily at the weapon for listening to me for once. "Who's a good boy?" I playfully asked at the unanimated sword and stroked the top of its blade lovingly, pretending it's a dog's belly.

Trying again, I swung the other way finding it working much the same way. "Yes!" I exclaimed out loud! "I finally figured out how to operate you!"

The sword was still incredibly heavy, but with the appropriate grip and balance I found myself able to keep the weapon under my complete control. I continued practicing until the sun began to light up the sky.

I grinned slyly, realizing that Shin and Kibito would be waking up soon. I put the sword down as quietly as I could and returned to the kitchen to get breakfast. I looked back to the sword as I walked off, "We'll have plenty of time together today, buddy, trust me!"

Shin was sitting on a large boulder with a bewildered look on his face after breakfast. I smiled, I stunned the Supreme Kai. Who can put that on their résumé?

I was handling the sword like a true pro; it looked like I have been training with the sword for years, never mind just five days. I made the sword slash the air from every possible angle; if the sky had limbs, it would have been dismembered on the highest degree by now!

I spun it around my wrist, aimed at the ground below, and dove in for a devastating strike at a boulder, resulting in an explosion of dirt and rock, flying in every direction. I put the sword on its sheath dangling down my back in one easy motion and started to walk back to Shin and Kibito.

Kibito frowned at me, suspicion all over his maroon face. "Where did you learn to use a sword like that?"

I laughed. "Piccolo taught me how to handle a normal sword when I was four years old." I smiled. "I just implemented his teachings in this sword, with the right equations and physic-laws, anything is possible." I winked at him.

Kibito scoffed, not believing a word I had just said. "Ugh, please mister stronghold! Even if you figured out how to use a sword… that still doesn't explain how you are able to lift the weapon so much easier!"

I laughed bashfully, "Well you see, what I was struggling to remember were techniques that I could use to keep the sword more under control. Because the last couple of days it was wielding me, not I it. Trust me; this thing is still monstrously heavy!" I grunted, my back started to hurt under the weight of my obese sword, "But once you're holding it properly, it becomes much easier to use the sword's mass and momentum to your advantage rather than the other way around!" I explained.

"Amazing," Shin exclaimed while watching as I jumped back up into the sky to continue my training with the sword. I must admit, I was showing off a wee bit, and I liked it!

My training continued at a riotous pace; each training session lasting longer than the last. Soon it wasn't just my strength and stamina rising, but my speed increased tremendously. The weapon felt like a normal sword after about five months of continuous training. I could lift it effortlessly in my base form by now!

"If this keeps up, you're going to run out of ways to train him!" Shin chuckled one morning at the breakfast table. "Truly extraordinary … I can't wait for you to implement the Z-sword in a real battle, while facing off Majin Buu..." He said looking at me.

I smiled brilliantly, my face screaming that I am ready to meet any challenge _and_ rise above it.

"Bring it!"


	9. Chapter 9: Hidden Powers

**Chapter 9: Hidden Powers **

(Shin's POV)

Gohan was like no one I have ever met before. His face had a child-like roundness about it, but he was more mature than most adults that I know. He grew very tall over the last eight years. He claimed that he had turned seventeen this year, an age that marks near-adulthood on his planet, but to me he was still so very young. Strangely enough, he reminded me of myself; of the person that I was before I was selected to be the Supreme Kai.

I have always been the kind of person who will fight for the right cause. Of course those days are over. I am not the fighter I used to be. I wish I had not harmed or killed so many people over the many centuries. I have the strength to fight, but I don't want to hurt anyone. When the position of being the Supreme Kai was offered to me, I happily obliged, knowing that I wouldn't have to focus on fighting, but rather on finding noble warriors that would. After all the damage I caused I decided to only fight back unless provoked or to protect the ones I love.

People like Gohan could fight on for years. You need a passion for it; an absolute drive, a trait he most definitely received from his father. But Gohan is a lot more similar to me than he might realise. He's afraid to hurt. He is gentle and doesn't and will not hurt the innocent. He fights to protect the ones he cherishes.

The atmosphere churned, twisting clouds in every direction, yanking me from my thoughts. Thunder and lightning raced across the skei as the ground below was breaking apart. Ruptures in the planet's crust spewed forth lava and ash, darkening the already foreboding atmosphere. Mountains were crumbling in the distance, collapsing on themselves. The entire realm was shivering with quakes. In a matter of minutes, the Realm of the Kai's was having a meltdown, and I was completely shocked to why that was.

"Gohan!" I called frantically.

My voice was straining to reach through the deafening roar of the torrent winds outside. I was barely able to stay on my feet when the ground shook again.

There was no reply.

"Gohan!" I shouted again.

No response.

I cursed and flew up to the sky, broadening my perimeters. It was dark and the shaking ground made it difficult to walk.

"Gohan!" I continued shouting.

This time I heard a muffled reply. From out of the pitch blackness came an old man, his white beard nearly reaching his belt. His skin was lavender and he wore his hair in a style similar to mine. We seemed to dress the same too, the only noticeable difference was his old age. Deep wrinkles and age spots decorated his entire body. The man was clearly a Kai, but I found it strange that I have never laid my eyes on him before. We usually knew each other well.

The old man was slow, but surprisingly steady as he made his way up the ditch toward me. He held an impatient stare on his face.

Our eyes met for the first time. "Why aren't you helping me?" He nearly shouted, in a voice stronger than I thought possible for his age. "I am old and you are young, so get to it!"

I was stunned by the sheer strength and authority of his voice. "Uh, of course." I stuttered as I jumped down to his level, securing his balance with my hands. I guided him up the short inclination, but he clearly didn't appreciate my efforts to aide him.

"Must you be in such a hurry?" The old man screeched.

I looked at the relic of a man in curious shock. Of course I had to be in a hurry. The whole planet was crumbling around us.

"Yes I do." I replied in a leveled tone of voice. "Now let's get out of here. Now!"

Without hesitation, I picked the man up and flew out of the crevice, to a more secure spot. I reached the violent winds outside and had to steady myself from the brutality of it. With a soft thud, I landed on the grassy field.

I planted my feet, dropping my weight to my knees and preparing myself for the onslaught that was almost upon me. Five beams of lava shot through the air, slicing the ground below us. Each one was a different energy concentration than the other ones, but all of them were tremendous in power. I tightened my muscles, summoning my energy. The fireballs were almost to me.

"What is happening?" I wondered aloud, sweat moistening my forehead.

Behind the flying lava stood Gohan. A bewildered expression rested on his brown and the young boy was clearly exhausted, breathing heavily as he struggled to keep his arm stretched out in front of him. I saw that Kibito occupied the other arm, dangling unconsciously from the Saiyan's limb.

He let out a yell and a surge of strength left his body, he pushed the bright white beams of energy towards the exploding lava strings. He had grown in strength over the few months that he'd been training under me, and his techniques was sharpening, it was concentrated and concise.

His energy attacks swallowed the liquid fire effortlessly and the sky was clear again. The planet stopped shaking and everything seemed to be in order again. I pressed my foot hard against the ground and sent my Ki into the Realm's core. The landscapes healed and the cracked earth sealed shut again. I felt dizzy after the release of so much healing magic; I don't think the planet has ever been so crucially damaged as this before.

I was amazed at the young boy's strength. He was learning at an incredible rate, and growing in skill every day. But then, fighting against such a growing force made the trainer stronger as well. I could feel my power level rising little by little as well.

Gohan floated down to me and fell flat on his bum after he gently laid Kibito on a patch of grass. "Phew." He breathed as he wiped excess sweat from his forehead.

"Care to tell me what happened?" I directed sternly to my student.

He pouted and pointed to the old man next to me. "He happened."

"Show your elders some respect, boy!"

My gaze fell on the old man, staring at him with puzzlement. My eyes met Gohan's again. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"As soon as he appeared, havoc struck!" He exclaimed a little out of breath.

"Hmpf!" The old man let out. "Why don't you tell your master how I came to be about in the first place?"

Gohan smiled sheepishly. "Shin, you see, Kibito and I were testing the Z-sword's strength. He threw me boulders and stuff and the sword would slice right through it, but then..." His voice trailed off. "Kibito got some Katchin and the sword kind of broke in two when it collided with it."

My mouth fell to the floor. "Katchin is the hardest metal in the universe! How could you be so ignorant?!"

The old man snickered. "I can't believe you call that training."

I spun around, sick of this old man's irritating antics. "Who are you and how did you get here?"

He laughed again, sounding like a witch's cackle. "Who me? Check out my hairstyle youngster, and my earloops. I am you, fifteen generations ago to be precise."

"Fifteen generations?" I asked rhetorically. My eyes widened, shocked that he was still alive after all that time.

"Yes." He answered loudly. "If there is something wrong with your hearing, then you must be older that I thought."

I blinked, processing what he had just said. "You mean you were once the Supreme Kai."

He simply nodded. "But now that I'm retired, you can call me Old Kai." He coughed a few times into his palm, rubbing his mucus off on his robe after he was done. "I am sure you are wondering how I am still alive, so listen." He cleared his throat and secured his arms behind his back. "Many years ago there was a terrible villain. Not as terrible as Majin Buu, but still pretty bad." He snickered. "The only thing that scared it was that I could use my powers to stop him and his evil ways." A smug expression was planted on his face. "So he tricked me, and sealed me inside the Z-sword."

I frowned. "You mean you were trapped inside the Z-sword all this time?"

He nodded profusely. "I so was. And now I've got a cramp!" He exclaimed and stretched a few times.

"I don't think this guy looks as strong as he thinks." I heard Gohan whisper to Kibito. "What do you think?"

He shook his head slowly. "Not really..."

"Let's put him to the test." Gohan's voice was mischievous and excited.

Kibito wavered. "I'm not sure that is allowed..."

"Shh." Gohan put his finger against his lip. "Watch."

A golden ball started to glow in my young student's palm and he shot it right towards Old Kai. It hit him directly in the face, and he fell back, screaming as the energy ball burned his skin.

Kibito uttered a sound of shock as Old Kai squirmed on the ground, clearly in much pain. Gohan seemed stunned by the damage his feeble attack had done, and stared wide-eyed at his prank-gone-wrong.

I rushed to the old man's side and extinguished the fire on his face. Kibito joined me and fanned the older Kai. "Oh dear." I muttered as I saw that his wrinkled skin had burned black. I shot Gohan an angry look, and he offered me a small smile and shrug as an apology.

"Noble sir, are you all right?" Kibito asked gingerly, a tone of voice rare for the tough bodyguard.

I jumped as Old Kai suddenly stood upright, screaming and waving his hands all around his body aggressively. "How dare you?!" He yelled very loudly. "AAAAAH! Baby, a baby in a diaper, that's what you are!" He looked directly at Gohan, his cheeks red from all the screaming. "You attempted such an attack on a noble spirit as me, are you on crack?!"

A frown resided on Gohan's brow. "But sir, that attack was child's play. A small animal would have been able to handle that." He defended himself.

Old Kai exhaled sharply. "All of my enemies feared me, but not because of my strength, but because of my menacing mental capacities." His voice rose an octave higher. "That's what drove fear into their hearts."

"Capacities?" Gohan questioned. "Menacing? What do you mean?" He walked closer to Old Kai, they were barely a foot from each other now.

Old Kai childishly turned his face away from Gohan. "I'm not telling." He shook his head. "Give me one good reason that I should." He stuck his tongue out at Gohan.

Gohan scratched his head. "Uhm, you can help us with defeating Majin Buu with these mental capacities of yours."

The Kai rolled his eyes. "And why would I want to do that?"

"You're a protector, it is your duty." I chimed in. "And you call yourself a Kai..."

"I'm retired." The man said stubbornly.

"If you help us and we actually defeat Majin Buu, your name will be written down in all the major history books. You will be famous!" Gohan said dramatically.

Old Kai's eyes lit up. "Fine, fine, I'll help you." He said slowly. "Just don't get your panties in a bunch."

"So what are your mental capacities?" Gohan asked friendly.

He pouted. "Let me explain it this way; if I use my powers on a kitty cat that goes meow, he will afterwards go ROAR!" He roared dramatically. "I can make a cat transform into a lion, so there you have it, my talent is that I can revive sleeping powers."

Kibito and I gasped. It is such a useful skill, especially for Gohan.

"So, you aren't really that strong yourself?" Gohan asked innocently.

Old Kai was immediately in his face. "You fool, I can take somebody far beyond his limits. A kitty becomes a lion, get it?!" He yelled.

"Yeah.." Gohan's voice trailed off. "It's just a little hard to believe, that's all."

He shook his head. "Young people..." He sneered under his breath disapprovingly. "How would you like your sleeping powers awakened?"

"Uh..." He looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded.

"Okay." He agreed.

"Go over there then." Old Kai pointed to a nearby hill. Gohan walked over there, not breaking eye contact with the older man. He sat down and Old Kai sat down opposite him. Kibito and I followed, curious about what could happen.

Old Kai squinted his eyes at Gohan. "The guy who pulled out the Z-sword and broke it... Hmmm, I could do something with you." He pondered. "Yes, you have great potential." It sounded like he was talking to himself more than he was addressing us.

"Funny, I always thought it would be a Kai who would pull the sword out of its resting place..." He shot me an accusing look. "But I guess you are more of a shoeshine boy, than a hero." His gaze fell on Kibito now. "Kais being showed up by a mere mortal... Things have gone downhill since I left."

I looked to the ground in shame. "Well sir, I have always tried my best."

"Hmpf." Old Kai turned his attention back to Gohan. "Turn your chin up son, turn your chin up." Gohan looked uncomfortable as he lifted his chin to the skies. "Stand up." Gohan did. "Now you have to remain perfectly still."

"Right." Gohan replied.

"Just relax." He chimed soothingly. His arms shot out in front of him abruptly. "Wake up you lazy powers!" He yelled. "Sleeping all this time? How dare you?! WAKE UP!" He made a few weird sounds and started dancing around Gohan, continuously repeating: "Wake up you sleeping powers, wake up."

"Excuse me, sir?" Gohan asked unsurely.

"Be still, this sets the mood." Old Kai reprimanded.

"Sets the mood?" Gohan repeated. "But I thought..."

"Well stop thinking then. This is just the opening ceremony."

"Good grief, what's next?" Kibito breathed into my ear.

I shrugged. "Maybe his methods have merit after all. We just have to be patient." I said, not believing it myself at all.

"Excuse me." I called. "How long is this going to take?" I hope it wasn't going to be too long, we still have a lot of training to do, and Babidi's plan could be set in motion any day now.

"Five more ours for the power raising." He chimed in beat with his dance. "And twenty more after that for the awakening."

Gohan noticeably flinched.

I sighed. "Kibito, what an unexpected turn of events."

"Yes sir, very odd." He agreed.

It was hours but it felt like days. Old Kai continued with his strange dance for five hours, like he promised and I held my breath when he finally stopped, remaining in a peculiar position for a few prolonged seconds before plopping down onto the grass in a lotus sitting position.

"Boy I am exhausted, I haven't done that in years." He heaved.

"I believe he is finished Kibito." I said and he nodded. We walked up to them; Gohan was also sitting on the grass now.

"We can't thank you enough for your hard work." I thanked Old Kai warmly. "So Gohan, do you feel any of your new strength yet?"

He shrugged.

Old Kai turned to me. "The ritual ended a few minutes ago sonny, we have twenty hours left before he will start to feel anything."

Gohan's shoulders slumped as he moaned.

"Okay then, now you just have to sit here, and keep your mind focused on your energy inside. You are never to leave this meditative state."

He sighed. "I can't move at all?"

"That's what it is going to take, discipline and concentration! Only then will you acquire what you seek." He squinted his eyes. "Are you saying it's not worth it?"

"It's worth it..." He said softly.

"Then let's get to it! There is no time like the present."

"Whatever you say..." Gohan muttered and closed his eyes in concentration.

A few hours passed and I was started to get tired. I leaned back against a tree, and closed my eyes.

"Do you really think that Gohan's power is going to increase like the old man says?" Kibito inquired impatiently.

I stared determinedly at the pair, Old Kai's arms was still outstretched to Gohan's body. "I believe it will work." I stated surely. "There is no reason to doubt my ancestor. He seems very confident in the process."

Kibito grunted. "I guess..."

"Shin, he's sleeping." Gohan directed to me.

I frowned, that can't be. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Are you sleeping?" Gohan directed to the relic of a Kai. Silence as his only answer and he lost his temper, screaming at the man to wake up. "I asked you a question." He yelled and Old Kai was startled awake.

"Where am I?" He stuttered confused.

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" Gohan accused angrily.

Old Kai immediately retaliated. "Of course not, I was in a deep meditative state. It just appeared as if I were sleeping."

"It appeared to me you were snoring."

Old Kai turned his nose up. "To the untrained eye meditation can appear as sleep, and besides, it's a well-known fact that Kai's don't lie. So come now, there is no time for questioning your tutor. Let's get back to work." He said with a yawn.

"But I feel nothing yet."

"I told you the awakening process will take twenty hours, and has it been twenty hours yet?"

Gohan shook his head.

"Exactly. Now close your eyes."

I also closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep, only to wake up with the two screaming at each other again.

"You said it would only take twenty hours, and it has been longer than that!" Gohan yelled.

"Sometimes it takes longer with the really strong ones, so you must be really strong."

"I'm tired of your games Kai!" Gohan yelled and jumped to his feet so quickly that I didn't even see the motion. A yell escaped his throat as a bright silver aura started surrounding his frame. Lighting gathered all around him and the planet quivered as he unleased some of his power. I stared at him with big eyes; Gohan has never been as strong as this before.

"Do you realise what you have done?" He yelled at Old Kai. "You wasted so much of my time..." Gohan stopped mid-sentence, looking down at his fists. "Wow, I guess it worked." He realized out loud. "Is this power really mine?" He turned to Old Kai. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

The Kai smiled. "You're not done yet, sit back down so we can finish up."

"Right, I'm sorry I ever doubted you sir." Gohan sat down again.

"Very impressive..." I said under my breath.

"Incredible, I didn't think he would be able to pull it off." Kibito said.

" * *

"It's done, you can leave now." The words I thought that would never be uttered was finally said after a couple more hours.

"That's great!" Gohan jumped up and stretched. "So how do I access these new powers?"

"Just channel your powers like you do when you transform into a Super Saiyan, and believe." He answered.

Gohan looked at his fists. "All I have to do is transform, and believe."

Old Kai waved his hands dramatically out in front of him. "Go believe somewhere else." He ordered panicky, but it was too late, Gohan was already releasing his powers. Old Kai flew into the horizon as Gohan's energy started to surge around him. The grass was stripped off the ground and the water of the lakes was sent tumbling through the air. Kibito and I had a hard time keeping our feet firmly on the ground as Gohan transformed.

I was surprised to see that he was still in his base form after that incredible display of power.

"Gohan, you are ready." The words escaped my mouth without me telling them to do so.

He smiled brightly. "You think?" He asked bashfully.

I returned the gesture. "Yes. Your power far exceeds that of Majin Buu."

"That's great!" He picked Old Kai up and hugged him tightly against his chest. "Thank you so much, sir. You are the best."

"So when are we going to Earth?" Gohan asked, a serious expression resting on his brow.

"Soon." I replied. "We can go tomorrow if you like. To scout the area for Babidi. He must be close to revive Buu by now. I haven't sensed him yet, but we might as well find out what his plans are early."

Gohan nodded. "So it's settled. We'll leave tomorrow."


	10. Chapter 10: There's no place like home

**Chapter 10: There's no place like home**

_Eight years after the Cell games…_

_I took a deep breath, steadying myself. Today was the day. Today was the first day in years that the thought of going home went through my mind. Today that simple thought is becoming a reality. But this was not a social visit. No. Like Shin told me before, Buu takes president above all things else. Even my family. I am not to be distracted. I am to be the perfect warrior, like the Supreme Kai trained me to be. _

_I walked out my cabin and followed the pathway toward the designated meeting place we agreed on yesterday. I met up with Shin and Kibito a few minutes later, they were dressed in their usual attire, but I knew they wore delicate, yet unbreakable, armour underneath. _

_"Gohan!" Shin called as soon as he laid eyes on me. A bright smile decorated his lips. "Are you ready for today?" _

_I returned the smile. "Sure am." I replied enthusiastically. "I can't believe all this time have gone by so quickly." _

_"But you are ready. You worked really hard Gohan." Kibito surprisingly muttered. _

_I smiled up at the giant man. "Would you say you are proud of me, Kibito?" I asked teasingly. _

_His slight smile turned into a scowl. "Don't push it, Saiyan." _

_I chuckled and playfully punched him in the stomach. "There is the Kibito we all know and kind of love." _

_He growled as a response. _

_"Well, that settles it." Shin chipped in. "Do you have everything you need, Gohan?" _

_I nodded. "Yup, but I feel empty without the Z-sword." I admitted. "I trained so long with it, it feels wrong to go into an actual battle without it." _

_Shin nodded. "I understand, the sword and its master does become one after all, according to the legends." _

_"So does that mean I am now one with the Old Kai?" I asked, mortified. _

_Shin laughed and Kibito actually managed a chuckle. "I don't believe so. He was just trapped in the weapon after all, not the weapon itself." _

_"That's a relieving thought." _

_"Indeed, but I think it's time for us to get going." _

_We got in position, standing next to each other, each with a hand on the other's shoulder. Unfortunately, I was standing next to Kibito, so I had to reach for the heavens. _

_"Stop!" Just before we teleported to the gem of the Northern Quadrant, a screeching old voice interrupted us. _

_Kibito sighed loudly, not at all trying to hide his irritation. "What does the relic want now?" _

_"He must just want to wish us good luck on our endeavors." Shin noted out loud. _

_"Hmpf." _

_"Great, you haven't left yet!" Old Kai said relieved after reaching us, panting severely. _

_"We were just about to." Kibito retorted. _

_"I'm glad you didn't, I wanted to give the young warrior a gift." He looked at me. _

_"Me?" I asked unsurely, pointing to myself. _

_"Well, you are surrounded by beings over a thousand years old, so yes young one, you." _

_"What did you want to give me?" _

_He held his arms out toward me. A sheath in his grasp, with the hilt of a sword sticking out at the end. A hilt I knew all too well. _

_"No way!" I exclaimed and grabbed the item out of his palms. I pulled the sword out and yes, it was the Z-sword. I made a few graceful slices with it through the air, enjoying the feel of it again. "How did you fix it?" _

_He smiled. "With some very strong glue." He winked. "Now go out there and kick Majin Buu's butt!" _

_I returned the smile. "Will do! Thank you so much sir!" I slung the sheath over my one shoulder and slid the sword into it. I made sure the weapon was concealed beneath my cape, so it would be out the sight of nosy Earthlings._

_"Now I am really ready." I directed to Shin. _

_He smiled. "I think you should do the honors of teleporting us to Earth." He said. "You do have the strongest attachment to it of course." _

_"It will be a pleasure." _

I concentrated on Earth's coordinates. I was pretty good with Instantaneous movement by now, and since I knew my home planet so well, the journey was not bumpy at all. As soon as we arrived my first instinct was to locate the energy signals of my family. I was surprised to find that they all were together. Mom, Dad, Piccolo, Bulma, Vegeta, Krillin, Yamcha... The whole gang was in a really close proximity of each other. I frowned; that didn't happen often. They must know Earth is in trouble, or maybe they are just holding a reunion.

Kibito looked around him. "Where are we anyway?" He asked. "Everybody always talks about what a gem Earth is, but this place is not pleasant for the eye at all."

I looked around me and noticed for the first time that we were in the desert where I had fought Cell. These landscapes were engraved in my memory, and hadn't changed much in the eight years since I have been supposedly deceased. The giant crater, created by my suicide attempt, was still apparent between the canyons. I sighed as I witnessed the place I lived my final moments again after all those years. If only…

"It's where I fought Cell." I answered Kibito's question. "This is where I died."

Shin's eyes filled with pity and he rested his hand on my shoulder, a firm yet gentle grasp. "It makes sense; this is where you lived your last moments on Earth. This is probably the strongest tie you have to the planet."

I nodded. "Yeah, that must be it."

"Looks like your friends left you a present." My eyes shot toward Kibito's voice. He was kneeling next to a rectangular-shaped piece of concrete. A little grave stood out like a sore thumb in the barren wasteland. I walked to the sight, curious to see who was buried here alone in the desert. I gasped as I read my name.

_Son Gohan. A great son; friend and loyal comrade. A hero. Rest in peace…_

A memorial of me; I thought they would forget about me, but as I saw the fresh flowers I realised that that wasn't the case at all. I felt so touched; emotions stirred inside me, but I didn't cry. I have long forgotten how to do it.

My fingers ran down the marble stone of the grave and I smiled at the photographs of random moments of my life. I forced myself away from the sight, knowing that I could stay here all day, remembering…

As I turned away, I was greeted by a tall statue of an oddly familiar-looking man. Layers of concrete were placed around the statue and a sign that read: _Please don't blow up this landmark_, stood scribbled at the front of the man. Oh, the humans probably think that this goofball defeated Cell. I laughed as I thought back at his failed attempt in defeating Cell.

But if you actually think about it, he is the true hero. If it weren't for him throwing Sixteen's head to me, I wouldn't have transformed into my SS2 state and obliterated Cell. I smiled sincerely up at the giant man as I put my hand on his concrete leg. "You really are a champ."

"So, where do you guys want to start looking for Babidi first?" Shin interrupted my thoughts and I was reminded of our initial mission: Majin Buu.

"Gohan knows the planet best, I suggest he says." Kibito said.

I pouted, thinking. "I don't know. There are a lot of places he could be, and Earth is not tiny, it will take time to locate it when blind."

Shin nodded. "Indeed. But we have to start somewhere."

"You said that Babidi needs quite a large amount of pure energy to set off the release of Buu?" I directed to Shin.

He nodded. "That is correct yes, but what are you getting at, Gohan?"

"There are few candidates that suite that requirement of energy here on Earth; it is basically just my dad, so..." My voice trailed off.

"He'll locate him to drain him of his energy..." Shin finished for me.

"Exactly."

"Do you know where we could find him?" Kibito asked.

"Yes. I sense my dad along with the entire Z-gang together. It is not that far from here."

"Let's go then." Kibito was already in the air as he started his sentence. Shin and I followed suite.

After flying for a couple of minutes, I noticed a trouble expression residing on Shin's face. "Everything all right Shin?" I asked worriedly.

He nodded, reassuring me. "I'm just worried about you."

I frowned. "Me? Why?"

"I'm worried about the effect your family will have on you after not seeing them for so long. It might affect your performance while fighting Buu."

"I'll give nothing but my best, no matter what." I replied, slightly annoyed.

"I know you will, I'm just concerned, that's all."

"So what, you don't want me to talk to them?"

He sighed. "I am not prohibiting you to talk to them Gohan, I know that you will, but I advise you not to. I don't want you to get to emotionally attached before the big battle. I leave the choice entirely up to you."

I shook my head slowly. "You are basically prohibiting me, Shin." I accused.

"It's all up to you." He repeated and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure."

I was so excited to see Dad and the others again, even though they weren't supposed to know about me…

"I'll need a disguise then." I informed. "Or else they'll recognize me. I've gotten a lot taller, but I am still the spitting image of my father."

Shin nodded. "I brought sunglasses and a bandana with, for just in case." He stated.

"Gold star for thinking ahead."

He shot me a look before handing the disguise over to me. I put the glasses on, and tied the white bandana over my signature Saiyan hair. They won't recognize me now at all, I thought grimly.

"Gohan, I sense hundreds of Kis gathered together along with your family, why is that?" Kibito asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure big guy. Maybe a festival or something?"

He nodded at my explanation, but when we reached our destination, it was not a festival that was occurring under our feet. It was not a festival at all.

"A martial arts tournament." I breathed, surprised that they held one after all this time.

"Like the ones they hold in Otherworld?" Kibito asked.

I nodded.

Shin seemed surprised. "I didn't know such an activity would be popular on Earth."

I smiled. "It sure is."

"Perfect timing for Babidi too." Shin commented. "A lot of pure energies gathered at one spot."

"He must have planned it." Kibito stated. "He is going to revive Buu soon."

We flew down to the entrance without attracting any attention and walked together to the sign-in booth. They both scribbled their names down on the admissions sheet and were let through. However when I walked up, the manager pushed the children's applicant towards me.

"Excuse me but I would like to enter in the adult division." I said promptly and pulled the other admissions sheet closer to me, but he yanked it away.

"That is not how it works now mister; children sixteen years and younger must compete in the children's division. No exceptions."

I pouted. "That stinks; since when?"

"The last time a youngling got killed by an adult." He shook his head slowly in despair. "Now do you want to fill this form in or what?"

"How old do I look to you?" I asked curiously.

"Sixteen."

I flashed a brilliant smile. "But I am seventeen."

"Then you'll have ID." He extended his hand out toward me, expecting some form of identification.

"I don't have any on me, but you can see that I look older than sixteen, right?" I tried.

"Nice try bud. Next!" He yelled and an oversized bodybuilder pushed me to the side.

_Gohan where are you?_ Shin asked me telepathically.

_I have a little problem, they think I am a kid, and they don't let kids fight in the high leagues anymore. I re_plied.

He sighed in my mind_. I'm coming, just get into the queue again. _

_Okay. _

I stood at the back of the queue for admissions and hummed a little tune out of boredom while I waited for my turn. Sheesh, I go away for five minutes and the whole world decides to enter! Shin joined me soon, without Kibito.

"What are you going to do?" I asked curiously.

"Convince him." He replied smoothly.

"So is your dad coming?" A young man started talking behind me.

"Of course, he is Goku for crying out loud!" I cringed at the young boy's voice.

I turned around to look into familiar eyes. My dad's eyes. My eyes. Then my eyes fell onto his hair. A style identical to that of my father. In fact, everything about his appearance were identical to my dad. He was just much, much smaller. There was no doubt about it; that must be his child. I have a brother? I was frozen with shock for a few seconds. Shin elbowed me in the side, bringing me back to reality.

"Is something wrong mister?" The Goku-lookalike asked me innocently.

"Yeah, can we help you with something?" Another voice added, I followed it to a young lavender-haired boy. Trunks.

I blinked, not knowing what to say, but then I remembered how to function my mouth again. "Uh no, sorry. I was just thinking that you boys look strong."

Both of them smiled arrogantly. "We sure are!" They said in unison and I smiled at them before turning around again.

"What was that about?" Shin whispered.

"I think that is my brother."

Shin frowned. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"That's because I didn't."

"Oh." Shin said uncomfortably, but sounding as if he understood the situation.

"I wonder if there is going to be any worthy fighters here today. I have a feeling that there will be." I recognised my dad's cheerful voice clearly. _Oh this was hard_. Every fibre in my being wanted me to run up to him and hug him, telling him how sorry I was for how the Cell Games turned out, but I couldn't. I considered it momentarily to change out of my disguise, back to myself, and greet them, but I knew that that would be a bad move. I don't want them to get involved into this mess.

"That's my Goku." I recognised my mother's loving voice as she planted a kiss on Dad's cheek.

"You guys are gross when you get all kissy-kissy!" Goku Jr. exclaimed in disgust and everyone laughed.

"Wait 'till you're older, Goten." Dad replied with a laugh. "You won't mind it at all then."

So Goten is his name...

"Yuck!" He said as he made gagging sounds.

"I think we must head out to our seats guys," Bulma's voice chirped. "We will let you muscle heads get on your way." She taunted and winked at Vegeta who looked like he couldn't be bothered.

"This is going to be boring." Vegeta complained. "The only reason I entered was to fight Kakarot."

"You never know Vegeta, maybe you won't even make it to the second round." I recognised Krillin's voice, mocking Vegeta.

"Maybe you won't even make it to the blasted entries desk if _you_ continue." Vegeta threatened.

"Vegeta, sweetie, remember when I explained the term 'jokes' to you…" Bulma's voice trailed off and Vegeta grunted in response. She chuckled at her spouse and gathered everybody who wasn't going to fight and walked in the direction of the pavilion.

I froze as I recognised my mother's figure pass by me. The fact that she aged was noticeable; I could see a few wrinkles peek out at her forehead and eyes and her hair was held together in a tight bun above her head, rather than her loose hairstyle when she was younger. She must be in her late thirties by now.

She was talking with Bulma as she walked by, not knowing that her eldest child was mere inches away from her.

I recognised Bulma's figure instantly; nobody had _that_ shade of blue hair but her. It was cropped short in a new hairstyle. Her bright red skimpy dress, which was _way_ too young for her, caught the attention of many a man, who I saw staring wide-eyed at the blue-haired beauty. She has probably already broken the forty-barrier. It didn't look like it though. Her skin was glowing, and her now short hair was full of volume.

Right on cue, Master Roshi appeared behind her with a camera, snatching shots of her bum. I snickered at the old pervert; he didn't change at all.

I noticed a little girl holding Bulma's hand. She looked about four years old and exactly like Bulma. Good for them; they had another child. Her short, high-ponytail bounced on top of her head as she skipped next to her mother to their seats.

Yamcha and Chautzu also accompanied the women to the pavilion. I wasn't surprised that they didn't compete; the fight has left their veins a long time ago. Yamcha also changed his hair; it was much shorter than it was before, but Chautzu's appearance didn't alter; he still resembled an evil little demon clown…

I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I wasn't imagining things. Eighteen was heading towards the little group of fighters after giving the little blonde girl on her hip to my mother. You are just imagining it Gohan, I reassured myself. Eighteen was killed by Cell, probably just a look-alike.

"Next!" I heard an impatient yell rang through my eardrums. "Oh, uh, you guys can go first; I am waiting for someone." I waved for my friends to go past me. Goten and Trunks went by me without making eye contact but Dad stopped in front of me. It has been such a long time since I have seen those kind eyes stare back at me.

"Thank you sir, are you going to compete too?" He asked friendly. It didn't look like he has aged a day since the last time I saw him, he looked exactly the same.

I couldn't find the function of my mouth and simply nodded.

He smiled at me. "Great, I hope to see you there." He said and moved past me and picked Goten up, carrying him on his shoulder. Vegeta also passed me with his hands across his chest; he didn't notice my presence.

"Goku, wait up!" A midget ran past me. My mouth fell open. Krillin?! He had a mop of brown hair on his head. I thought his baldness was chronic? Oh my goodness…

I froze when Piccolo went to stand behind me. I can't do this anymore! I stepped away from the queue, letting Piccolo pass me and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and forced myself not to go over to them and tell them the truth, compromising our plan.

After what seemed like an eternity, they were gone and into the next room. I walked over to the admissions desk.

"Name and registration please," The man at the desk asked, it was a different one than before. "My name is Go…" Idiot you can't use your real name! I scolded myself.

"I am sorry sir, but I didn't quite catch that." He said politely.

"My name is, uh, Saiyaman." I stuttered and he wrote it down on the list. "Okay Saiyaman, can I see some identification?" I sighed. Of course he still wants to see identification.

Shin rested his elbows on the desk and looked the manager directly in the eyes. "_You will let this gentleman pass through without wanting his identification." __He said in a seductive hypnotizing voice. _ He smiled up at me and gestured me to go through.

"Wow, you should teach me how to do that." I praised.

He chuckled. "No way." He said. "If I do, you'll probably torture Kibito into doing stuff for you."

I smiled. "That does sound like something that I would do."

"Precisely."

We located our other ally's ki and met up with him. "What took you so long?" Kibito asked irritated. "I already found Babidi's minions." He subtly pointed to two big bald men dressed in only white gi-pants with a purple belt. But what caught my attention was the italic 'M' carved on their foreheads.

"So that '_M_' mark means they are property of the Majin?" I asked curiously.

Shin nodded approvingly. "Good job, now we must just follow them to Babidi's location when they gathered their dose of pure energy. Your father will do quite nicely."

I frowned. "So we are going through with them stealing my dad's energy?"

"We'll talk about it later." He dismissed, and leaned against a wall, leaving me alone.

My eyes instantly fell on my group of old friends. I gawked at them, finding it hard not to spy on what they have become.

A weird sad feeling settled in my stomach as I saw them laughing and having a good time. I could have been a part of that, I thought depressed. They could have been laughing with me now too.

What did you think, Gohan? That they were going to put off their lives just because you died? I was a bit disappointed that they were happy and not sad. But I can't blame them; life goes on…

After about half an hour, one of the tournament officials arrived with a chart. "Everybody report to the preliminary ring for the qualifications." He yelled a few times in an unbearable loud voice. I got up and walked with the other fighters like sheep to the new room. We all got into a queue and waited for our turn to punch some machine thing to moderate our power levels to see who qualifies.

_Hey, so how is this pure energy thing going to work?_ I asked Shin as we claimed our places in the queue; we were last in line, hoping that he devised another plan that would keep my friends out of it.

_I am sorry Gohan but there is no other way; your Dad will most likely be the victim. He is the only one with a pure energy high enough for Babidi to take interest in._

_Shin, we already went through this. I don't want my friends to be involved. I know them, they are nosy! They will fish for more information and join us to kill Buu as soon as they know._

Shin shrugged. _Maybe their presences will aide us_.

I sighed. _That was not the deal Shin._

_I apologise, but I don't see another way to this. Otherwise we will never find Buu's whereabouts. Babidi will unleash him into the world to kill everybody. Do you want more blood on your hands? _He asked.

I flinched. _That was uncalled for._

_You started it. So are you going to go ahead with this plan or am I going to have to restrict you_?

I scoffed arrogantly. _You can't restrain me even if you tried._

My body fell suddenly paralysed and I sighed. _I hate that technique!_ I yelled at him but he simply smiled. He released his grip and I slumped back to normal.

My eyes lit up as I thought of a brilliant idea. _But what if I have a counter proposal?_ I asked suspenseful.

Shin and Kibito both raised their eyebrows. _Go on…_ They said simultaneously.

I smiled, happy that I had their attention. _What if I was the one those minions saw interest in?_ I asked, hoping they would bite.

_And how are you going to do that without revealing your identity?_ Kibito snarled negatively.

_My power is still as pure as it can be, you guys, and I have more than enough power to fill that jar thing of theirs'_. _And my Ki is unrecognizable from what it was eight years ago, so much that my friends won't even be able to tell that it is me._I was proud of my great idea.

_He bit his lip, thinking it over. __Okay. __He finally said. __But you'll have to make sure that your identity is kept hidden. _

_I smiled broadly. __Of course. _

I sighed as the great Hercule was first to punch the thing. "Good golly! Hercule has a power of 354! That is the highest recorded power in history!" If only they knew… I hope the others will at least try to conceal their real powers.

"He qualifies automatically, being the previous champ and saving the world and all, but you others must have a power level of at least 250 to qualify." He yelled and some people punched the air in frustration, thinking that the bar was set to high for them.

Other people went on the stage with poor attempts. Only about three of the masses qualified.

The line began moving and I saw that Dad and the others were up. It looked like Dad was concentrating severely when he punched the machine; but all the judges' mouths fell open when they saw _'560'_ flash before them.

The staff thought the punch machine was defective so they used about ten minutes to tweak it. They made Dad punch again. '_570'_flashed on the screen this time. They were stumped again but allowed him to pass; otherwise the tournament would never happen.

Every one of my friends got over 500 and a black-haired girl people stated was Hercule's daughter got a _320_; then Vegeta came up. Sigh, I knew he was going to show off, but I didn't expect him to break the machine! And just before my turn! I saw that everybody scowled at him but he shrugged it off and moved on to the fighters chambers.

I waited about another half an hour for them to bring in the back-up machine.

Shin and Kibito advanced next with a respectable _504_ and _489_.

I let out a relieved sigh as my turn finally came up. I concentrated, trying to give a punch of as little power as I could. It resulted in a _440_. I smiled proudly at myself and did a little happy dance while entering into the fighters chambers. I saw an open seat at the back and sat there, minding my own business. I closed my eyes and talked to Shin.

"Good, now that the formalities are over. You can head to the next room where the numbers of the contestant will be drawn." The chubby official with the chart yelled. Everybody rushed through the small door to the next room.

"Hercule, you are up first." The announcer called; I recognised that it was the same commentator that I knew my whole life. He walked to the box and finally pulled a coloured ball out of the box after doing some weird theatrical poses. He was number 12; in one of the final matches against someone called Mighty Mask.

"Sir, excuse me but what is your name?" The commentator directed to me.

I cleared my throat. "I am Saiyaman."

Nearly everybody laughed at me; as I suspected, but I couldn't care less. "Saiyaman?" The commentator asked unsure and I nodded with a smile on my features, confirming it.

"Alrighty then, I have heard worse." He stated and directed me to the box.

Everybody gawked at me but I ignored them. I put my hand in the box and scurried around the balls; I randomly picked one and pulled it out slowly. I looked at it first before showing it to officials.

"He is number seven!" One of them yelled to the person scribbling names on the chart. Good, I am up in one of the first matches.

_How do you want this to work?_Kibito asked in my mind; he probably wanted to change the balls telepathically. I didn't hesitate with an answer_. I want one of the minions in my fight; let's get this over with quickly._

He nodded. _It shall be done. Nice job with your disguise by the way; you should have done this from the first place._

I smiled. _Who knew the mighty Kibito could utter a compliment?_ I teased.

He growled. _Don't make me take it back._

I laughed. _Don't worry big guy, your secret is safe with me.__  
><em>  
>We turned our attention back to the draw. <em>I want to fight with your friend Piccolo.<em> Shin said out of the blue.

_Why?_I questioned with a frown.

_He seems like a very interesting opponent; I sense the presence of a Kami in is body._ He noted with fascination.

_Yup, __I retorted__. Have fun._ He smiled at me.

Shin was indeed paired up with Piccolo in the second match. I sneaked a glimpse at Piccolo. For some reason he was frowning at Shin.

_I think Piccolo is on to us!_ I yelled at Shin.

_No need to be so abrupt Gohan,_ he scolded, _and yes I know that already and I am not surprised. He has a Kami in him after all._

My mouth fell open at his cool attitude. _Aren't you worried?_

He shook his head. _Why should I be? Even if he does figure it out, he won't tell anyone._

_How could you be so sure that he won't?_ I asked.

He smiled. _He won't. I am sure that if he realizes that I am the Supreme Kai, he would back off. I have higher authority than any Kami would dream of having. _

I realised the draw was over and we were all asked to go to the fighters room next to the arena to get ready for our fights. Before I went to the arena I studied the chart. I saw that Krillin was up against Pintar in the first match, followed by Shin and Ma Junior, really Piccolo? I thought you gave that name up a long time ago.

Videl vs. Yamu, who's that? Was up in the third match followed by is me and Spopovich. Dang, no wonder he is evil! I let out an exasperated laugh when I saw that Dad and Vegeta were up against each other in the seventh match. I wonder how that was going to turn out, I thought sarcastically.

I turned around and walked into the fighters chambers. The others were already there and talking excitedly about something. "... let's go see the boys." I overheard the last part of my dad's sentence.

He was probably referring to my brother...


End file.
